


Happily Ever Afters

by sbstevenson2



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-07 18:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15225603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbstevenson2/pseuds/sbstevenson2
Summary: Collection of entries for OQ Happy Ending Week 2018. There will be fluff, emotions, some angst but in the end Robin and Regina will get their happy ending! :)





	1. Bandit OQ: Perfect Together

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 is a sequel to my story “Perfect Shot” that I wrote for Prompt Party 2018. If you haven’t read that one, feel free to check it out as well! It might help to understand Regina’s background a little bit more in this one, but I’ve been assured by my wonderful betas that this one still makes complete sense for those of you who haven’t read the first part. Hope you enjoy! :)

**_Monday - Day 1_ ** **_: Bandit OQ - Perfect Together_ **

They’ve been in town for hours, shopping and using the money they’ve collected over the last few months to purchase provisions not readily found at camp or in the forest surrounding them. It’s been almost a year since Regina shot Robin with her stray arrow, but he’s yet to let her live it down, claiming she can hunt for bargains in town on bread and mead while he hunts for food.

She rolls her eyes each time, knowing he’ll let her accompany he and his men every now and then. She has a sneaking suspicion he doesn’t want her going out on hunts for other reasons. They’ve been engaged for the last four months, and in that time, Robin has become more protective. She knows it’s because of her own fears - the fear of her former fiancé coming back and taking her away, taking her back to the life of misery that she escaped from so long ago. There’d been a scare a few months back, just weeks before Robin asked for her hand in marriage, where she thought she saw the duke in his carriage. It turned out to be nothing, just another nobleman making his way to the next village, but the thought that she would be taken back to her mother and former life had been enough to scare all of them.

Since then, she’s tried to stop worrying. It’s been almost two years since she escaped, so they assume if no one has found her by now, no one ever will. She’s finally safe, finally free.

“Gina?”

She looks down from where she’s been searching the shelf of bread, trying to find the perfect loaves to take back to camp. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Can I get this?” Roland holds up a feather filled toy in the shape of a dragon, pleading to her with his large, brown eyes. He’s not her son yet according to the law (though he is in her heart), but he will be once she and Robin get married. She knows she needs to work on telling him no; she can’t give him everything he wants in life, no matter how badly she wants to spoil him.

Sighing, she looks over to John who stands by the fruit stand, perusing the delicious apples to take back home. “Not today, baby. We only brought enough money for the food.”

His bottom lip juts out, pouting and turning to go place it back on it’s stand with a dejected _okay, Gina._ She chuckles to herself, shaking her head slightly and giving the man behind the stand her money. She’ll tell Robin when she gets home that they need to try and pickpocket some extra money so they can get it for their son for his birthday coming up.

Tucking the bread into her large sack, she starts toward Roland when she hears, “Hello, Regina.”

Everything in her freezes. The sound of merchants selling their items and children laughing at their new purchases all fade away. That voice. It’s the voice she can remember waking her up in the mornings, the voice that always told her to _stand up straight, Regina_ and _act like a lady, dear_. Her eyes shoot over toward Roland, then to John, making sure they’re okay. She knows what will happen next, knows what being found after so long by her mother means.

She turns, facing the older woman and squaring her shoulders. “Mother.”

Cora grins that wicked grin, placing her hand on Regina’s shoulder. “I think it’s time you come with me.”

Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath. Her mother would never want to make a show out of this in the middle of a crowded marketplace. Maybe she can get away with it. “No.”

“No?” Cora scoffs, shaking her head. “Regina, dear, don’t be a fool.”

Sighing, Regina shakes her head again, informing her mother that she won’t be going with her. “I have a life now, a home, and I’m not leaving.”

“A home?” Cora asks incredulously, eyeing her tan pants with the dirt stain on the knee and her vest with the fur collar with disdain in her gaze. “Don’t be foolish. This is no place for you to live.”

Cora grabs her hand, making her bag of bread fall down her shoulder. Regina reaches up, catching it before the contents of the sack can spill onto the ground. They’ve worked too hard the last few heists to collect the money used to buy this week, she won’t let it go to waste.

“No,” Regina says, louder this time, causing the people around them to stop and look. Cora looks around, smiling coyly at the people passing by who can’t help but to turn their curious eyes in their direction, reminding Regina through clenched teeth not to make a scene.

“Gina?” Roland’s sweet little voice asks as he walks toward her, “Who is this?”

Regina looks over her shoulder, glancing down in Roland’s direction. She tells him that _this is no one_ and _not to worry_. She hands Roland the bag of bread, giving him a big boy job to take his mind off of the new, most likely scary, lady that still grips onto Regina’s hand tightly. “You hold onto that for me, baby, and you can carry it back home for me, too. Just don’t drop any of it.”

Roland smiles brightly at his new responsibility, nodding so profusely that his brown curls bounce around his forehead. She makes a mental note to trim it a bit when she gets home. _If_ she gets home.

“Regina. Now.” Cora demands, pulling on Regina’s hand. She moves her grip higher up to Regina’s forearm, making it impossible to slip away as her grasp tightens, leaving fingerprints on her skin.

Tears well in her eyes as she looks down at Roland, knowing she won’t be going home with him tonight. Fear is all that fills her, fear of never seeing Robin again, of not watching Roland grow up, and mostly of being forced to marry the duke after all. It’s the life she thought she’d escaped, but little did she know, she had just delayed the inevitable.

“Roland,” Regina cries, leaning down as close to him as possible. Cora’s grasp loosens a touch at the sudden movement, giving her enough space to reach the little boy’s head. Placing a kiss there, she breathes him in, whispering an _I love you_ into his hair. She looks around frantically for John, knowing he might be able to stop her mother, but she doesn’t see him.

“Go find John, Roland,” Regina says as Cora snatches her up once more, yanking her away from her soon to be son. “Then go find Papa and tell him that my mother took me. Go tell him, Rolan-!”

His name is cut short as Cora pulls her away, into the crowd and onto their carriage as she fights, clawing at her mother’s hands and yelling for her to let her go. She doesn’t care if she’s making a scene, any attention will help. She spies John as her mother is forcing her into the carriage and she yells his name. He runs over, scooping a crying Roland up in the process. Waving his free arm frantically, yelling her name over and over again.

“Go find Robin!” she shouts through the window, praying to anyone who will listen that he can hear her. She presses her hand against the window, giving John and Roland a sad, tear filled look before her mother pulls her back into her seat. She just hopes John can get to Robin in time for them to catch up to her. They’d saved her once before, maybe they can do it again.

{*******************}

“Papa! Papa!” Roland yells, matching John’s loud cries of Robin’s name.

He’d just gotten in from their hunt, laying the boar down to be roasted tonight. Looking in their direction, furrowing his brow at their distressed shouts. “What is it, my boy?” he asks, taking Roland from John’s arms. “Where’s Regina?”

He looks around, noting she hasn’t come through the entrance of their camp yet. “She took her! The mean mama lady took her!”

Shaking his head, Robin looks up to John with a worried, questioning gaze. “Her mother,” is all John says before Robin can feel the color drain from his face as his eyes bulge out. He places Roland down, wiping his son’s tears off his cheeks and promising to be back.

“Men!” he shouts, informing some of them to stay there, to watch over the camp, while he and John go find Regina.

He knows her mother is nothing but trouble, has heard countless stories from his love about how awful her mother had been growing up. She’s the one who had promised Regina to the abusive duke, the one who had always torn Regina down with her words.

“Roland,” he says seriously, combing his hand through his son’s locks, “You stay here with Mary. I’m going to go bring Regina back to us.”

Kissing his son on the head, he grabs his bow, slinging it around his body and clapping John on the back.

He and John hop onto their horses, preparing to gallop off in the direction of where she was taken, hoping he can find someone, anyone, who saw the direction in which she went.

{*******************}

“Regina, dear,” Cora reprimands sternly, straightening a wrinkle in Regina’s newest dress she’d forced her to change into as soon as they arrived back at her palace, “sit up straight.”

She’s been there an entire day, praying against all hope that her former fiancé, the duke, doesn’t come swooping back in. She’ll fight tooth and nail before she lets him take her again. He’d given her the scar above her lip so long ago, she can’t imagine what he’d do to her after running away and being gone for almost two years.

Cora snaps her finger, alerting the maid waiting in the corner to come pour them some fresh tea. Regina gives the girl a small smile, thanking her while Cora glares over at her, reminding Regina they don’t speak to the help.

Rolling her eyes, Regina sighs, sitting back in her chair and sipping the new beverage. There has to be a way out, she thinks. She’d done it once before, assumes that hidden passageway no longer exists unless they never figured out how she got away the first time. She’ll have to look tonight.

“I’ve sent word to your fiancé,” her mother says, making her sit up straighter. Surely her mother hasn’t found Robin, she was careful not to mention him since she’s been found.

“Robin?” she asks tentatively, setting her teacup down on the table nervously.

Scoffing, Cora stands up. “No, you idiot girl, the _duke.”_

Closing her eyes, she stands up, meeting Cora’s gaze head on. “I don’t love him, Mother,” she vows, “I am to marry the man I love.”

“This _Robin?”_ Cora asks, dismissing Regina’s desires with a wave of her hand. “He can’t give you what you want, dear. You’ll marry the duke and that’s that.”

“No.”

“No?” Cora asks disbelievingly. “You don’t have a choice, Regina. He’s on his way; he’ll be here in two days time.” Cora moves dangerously close to her, trying to intimidate her into submission. Regina’s stubbornness, though, is the one thing her Mother and the duke always hated. It’s a trait Robin has always loved about her. She knows what she wants and won’t be told otherwise.

Regina refuses again, informing her mother that she is to marry Robin, tells her she’ll escape from this imprisonment one way or another if it’s the last thing she does. With that promise, Cora raises her hand, swiping it across Regina’s cheek, making her head whip to the side.

Grabbing her cheek as tears blur her vision, she looks back at her mother. Scowling, she runs from the room, making her way to her bedchamber. Maybe that secret servants passage is still there after all.

{*******************}

“Robin,” Alan says, walking toward him hurriedly as he and John mount their horses. “This is Tinkerbelle.” He points toward a girl with blonde, curly hair. She’s in a short green dress and he notices she has wings sprouting from her back. A fairy. He’s heard legend of fairies but has never seen one in person.

“You’re a f-”

“A fairy, yes,” the girl says, cutting him off joyfully. “I’m a fairy godmother, actually, and I’m here to protect Regina.”

Bit late for that, he thinks to himself sourly. He tells the young girl that he’s setting off now to find her, rescue her and bring her back home where she belongs. The girl nods, saying she’ll do what she can from here before he returns. He looks at her questioningly, tilting his head to one side. How can a fairy godmother help without being _near_ the one she’s supposed to protect?

The girl giggles, patting his shoulder and telling him _not to worry_.

He and John set off on their steeds, making it to town in record time. No one has seen her, but they keep asking, keep searching. After a few hours, they finally find an old woman, the one selling clothing in the market square, claiming she saw the carriage take off toward the East.

They thank the woman, handing her the only coins he has on him as a reward, and set off once again. After riding into the night, they make camp for a few hours, sleeping a short while, enough to get their strength back up.

They take off the next morning, putting out their campfire with water from the stream nearby and continuing to head East. Robin sends up a prayer to whomever is listening that they find her. He knows if she’s there too many more days, there’s a higher possibility her mother will force her into a marriage with the duke all over again. Robin would rather lay down his life for her than see her be forced to marry that abusive man again.

As they cross the river, galloping around a corner, he spots movement to his right. Slowing down, he hears cries of _Wait!_ and _Stop!_ He’d know that voice anywhere. Hoping off his horse, causing John to halt his ride, Robin jumps off, sprinting toward the woman running in his direction.

“Regina!” he shouts in astonishment, opening his arms for her and wrapping her up in them forcefully when they make contact.

She looks stunned, most likely not expecting to find them so far from camp. “Robin? John?”

Looking over her, he runs his hands through her hair, pushing the loose strands behind her ear. The rest is tied up in a braid which rests over one shoulder, just the way she always likes to wear it.

Leaning in, he presses a kiss to her lips, running his hand down her jaw and cupping it. “I’ve missed you so much,” he swears, roaming his eyes over her face. It’s only been two days, but he thought he’d never see her again. “How did you get away?”

She smirks, tilting her head smugly to one side. “I’ve done it once before. An old servants hallway that my mother seems to have forgotten.”

Chuckling, he wraps his arm around her shoulder, leading her toward his horse. “Well you wouldn’t be the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with if you weren’t so resourceful.”

Regina smacks his chest, giggling and placing a kiss to his lips.

“I grabbed this, too,” she states proudly, pulling out a piece of a blue, silky dress to show him that’s been stashed into a satchel she now has draped across her body. “Figured we could sell it for a good price.”

Robin shakes his head, laughing. He hooks his fingers around her vest, the one Mary had gifted her with when she first came to their camp, and pulls her closer, whispering into her hairline how much he loves her.

She giggles, tilting her head back to get a better look at him, saying they can give Roland all the birthday presents he wants with the profit they’ll fetch from her new dress and satchel. He leans down once more, pressing his lips to her as she smiles into the kiss. They break apart as they near the horses, and she gives John a hug, thanking him for helping Robin look for her.

“Come on,” Little John says, patting Regina on the back gently. “Let’s go home.”

The three of them make their way to camp, happy to all be reunited. Robin looks up into the sky, thanking whichever God smiles upon them and praying that they never have to go through this again.

{********************}

As the three of them make their way into the camp, Roland runs to Regina, squealing her name and wrapping his little arms around her legs. She smiles down at him, picking him up and placing a kiss to his forehead as she hoists him onto her hip. “Hi, baby,” she whispers, kissing his cheek.

Her soon to be son tells her he missed her, and she promises that she missed him too, tells him she thought about him every night.

She sets him down, and the little boy runs off after giving his father a kiss, joining the other children at the table where they’re being given an afternoon snack.

Looking up at Robin, she runs her hand over her braided hair. She walks over to him as he wraps one arm around her shoulder. “I’m scared, Robin,” she admits quietly with a quiver to her voice and looking into his crystal blue eyes. “What if she finds me again?”

He matches her gaze, his eyes softening as he promises that she’s safe. “I won’t ever let her take you again.”

“I might have a solution to that,” she hears from beside her. Regina turns her head, spotting a blonde girl that wasn’t in their camp two days ago when she was last here. Robin introduces her, informing Regina that the girl’s name is Tinkerbelle.

“But you can call me Tink,” she says proudly, stretching out her hand to shake Regina’s. The girl shrugs her shoulders, making two thin, green wings pop out. Regina’s eyes widen, looking between the girl and Robin.

“You’re a f-fairy?”

Tink chuckles, saying Robin had the same reaction. “A fairy godmother, in fact. Yours.”

“Mine?” Regina asks, shocked. Scoffing, she adds an irritated, “Where were you when I was kidnapped?” How dare this girl claim to be a fairy godmother when Regina has spent a lifetime being abused by her mother, then her fiancé, not to mention running away and almost dying before Robin found her.

“Well you’d found your soulmate, I didn’t feel the need to intervene,” Tink states simply, telling her she wasn’t assigned to watch over her until a year ago, so all the abuse she suffered couldn’t have been helped. “I am sorry about that,” the girls tells her sincerely, “If I’d known you then, I would’ve saved you long ago.”

They tell her that Tink showed up at camp just after Regina was taken, claiming that she could help. While Robin and John had been gone, Much and Alan had gone looking in the other direction for a new place to call home. “There’s a forest two villages over,” Robin tells her, pointing in the westward direction. “The men found it while out on a search. They say there’s more vegetation and wildlife then we’ll know what to do with.” Robin smiles brightly, excitedly, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. She’s stunned, never thinking they’d be so willing to move camp. They’ve lived here forever it seems, far longer than Regina has known them. “Seems like the perfect spot to make our new home, this Sherwood.”

“You’d do that for me?” Regina asks, looking into his eyes. “This is our home, Robin, it’s been your home for so long.”

Robin smiles sweetly in her direction, stepping back and taking her hand. He brings it up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. “I’d do anything for you, my love.”

“She could still find me, even if we move locations.” Fear of being found again gripping at her heart, Regina starts to pull her hand away. Robin, quick as ever, takes it in his one more time, looking over at Tink.

“I have a solution for that, too,” the girl says perkily, smiling from ear to ear. She tells Regina of her magic and how she can cloak their new home in a spell so no one can ever find it. “Only the people who live inside the camp will know where it is,” she explains matter of factly.

Looking from the fairy up to Robin, Regina smiles tentatively, thinking this is too good to be true. “You could do that?”

Giggling, the girl flaps her wings, making pixie dust fall from the tips as a wand appears in her hand. “Of course! Everyone ready?” Checking to make sure that all members of the Merry Men and their families are safely inside the camp, Tink waves her wand, picking up everyone and all of their belongings in a safe bubble, depositing them into the middle of Sherwood Forest, into their new camp.

Looking around, stunned, Regina notices the camp looks exactly the same as their old one. All of their belongings are exactly where they’d been before, everyone standing in the same spot, almost as if the fairy had frozen them all for the move. The only difference is being located in a different forest. She thanks Tink for making it resemble their old home, wanting some familiarity for Roland and the other children. Looking to her side, she notices the trees are much denser here, easily hiding them far better than the trees of the Enchanted Forest had ever done anyway. Tink shrouds the camp in a golden bubble, watching as her dust sprinkles down, covering all that are inside the camp as well as the surrounding trees. It tickles Regina’s nose, this pixie dust, but she smiles, knowing this cloaking spell is her best solution. Tilting her head back down, Regina looks from Robin, who has a smile plastered to his face, over to Roland who is laughing with the other young children as the dust covers their arms.

“I’m really free?”

“You’re free,” Robin promises her with unshed tears in his eyes, leaning in to kiss her one more time. Regina smiles widely, looking around at the people she’d come to live with so long ago, people who’d given her a place that she could call home. And now, thanks to her fairy godmother and her soulmate, she knows this new camp will make her happier than she ever thought possible. She and Robin can get married and live the life they always planned to have with no chance of her mother ever finding them. Together. Just how it should always be.


	2. Missing Year: Finding Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin finds a solution to solve Regina’s sadness, making them both the happiest they’ve ever been.

**_Day 2:_ ** **_Stuck in the Missing Year - Finding Home_ **

“Henry!” Regina shouts, panting as she sits up in bed, sweat gathering on her hairline as she grips her chest, feeling her erratic heartbeat under her palm.

“Hey,” Robin mumbles, turning over in his sleep. He sits up, placing a comforting hand on Regina’s back. “It was just another dream, love.”

Sighing, Regina leans over, placing a kiss to Robin’s cheek and apologizing. He tells her there’s nothing to be sorry for as he rubs his hand along her forearm. “We’ll find a way back to him soon, I promise.”

She fights to urge to roll her eyes, knows he’s just trying to comfort her, to make her feel better. She has to accept it though, this new reality. They’ve been back in the Enchanted Forest for a year now, and no one has yet to find an answer of how to get them all home. Snow and Charming have moved on as best as possible, beaming with pride as Snow’s rounded belly grows each day. Belle and Neal have learned to live without Rumple, moving back into her castle and going about their daily lives. It seems everyone has accepted this, accepted living here forever. But not her. Regina refuses to accept that she will be separated from her little prince for the rest of her life.

She’s with Robin now, and has Roland to keep her company, but it’s not the same. They’ve been dating for the past eight months, her finally caving in to the undeniable attraction that they both instantly felt the moment he rescued her from a flying monkey, though no one knew about them until recently. It was nice having a little secret, something they could keep to themselves. That was all shot to hell, however, when Snow caught them kissing in the shadows of a corridor before a council meeting. It’s nice, having someone, despite how much she misses her son. That void will always be there, she knows, but Robin has helped her see that she can’t let life pass her by while she searches for a way back to Storybrooke; she still has to live.

“You keep saying that,” she reminds him, snuggling back into the warm covers of her bed. He lays his arm across her stomach, moving closer to press a kiss to her forehead.

“We will, Regina,” he vows, “Just have faith.”

He’s always so optimistic, Robin, so much so that she’s surprised she can feel the things she does for him. Though she supposes that’s why they work; if she was with someone just as cynical as she, they’d never get anything done. He’s good for her, and she loves him for it.

Regina loves him, and he loves her. She truly thought she’d never have that again, but she does and it’s wonderful. She know she wouldn’t have survived the last year without him.

Closing her eyes, she nods her head, not wanting to get into another debate about having hope. She tilts her head up, pursing her lips, knowing he’s still watching her. She hears him sigh, though she can also hear the smile that accompanies it as he leans in, placing his lips gently upon hers. She parts her lips, moving to close them around his as she kisses him goodnight for the second time that evening.

{******************}

The next morning, she has to squint as the sunlight streams through the thick curtains. Winter is starting to fall upon them here in the forest, still warm in the afternoon sun but a breeze in the mornings makes seeking warmth within their attire necessary, so she pulls on a heavy cloak that sits by her bed as she walks toward the balcony.

“Good morning,” she says, walking up behind Robin and wrapping her arms around his waist. He smiles, turning his head to the side to place a kiss to her temple. “Ready for breakfast?”

“Mmm,” he hums, turning in her arms. “Let’s go.”

Once dressed for the day, they make their way down to the dining hall hand in hand, Robin greeting his men they pass in the hallways.

“Gina!” she hears squealed from across the room, smiling as Roland comes into view. The little boy runs up to her, his brown cloak flapping behind him as his hair flops about his head. Regina bends down, stretching out her arms for her dimpled face munchkin to run into.

“Good morning, Roland,” she says happily, standing with him in her arms as she presses a kiss to his cheek. “Did you have fun last night with Uncle John?”

Roland bounces in her arms, looking between her and Robin as he explains, in much detail, how he’d had a great time camping with Little John, looking at the stars and roasting their dinner over a campfire like how they use to. Granted, this campout was different, seeing as Regina didn’t want him too far from her or Robin. He’s been having nightmares of her green skinned sister for months now, so Regina had set up tents for Roland, John and Alan in the garden closest to her apple tree. The little boy tells them how he had fun, how it was just like sleeping in the forest, and they both smile, glad that her favorite five year old was able to be entertained all night. It gave her and Robin a chance to be alone for a full night, something they haven’t had recently, and she makes a mental note to thank John for it later somehow, probably with food.

Robin excuses himself, pressing a kiss to Roland’s head and ruffling his hair as his son giggles. Regina walks over to the buffet table, setting Roland down. He’s still attached to her leg, though, holding onto her long, navy cloak as she fixes their plates. Roland points out the food he wants, and Regina picks up a few pieces of each item, filling his plate with far more food than he’ll be able to fit in his little belly. But, she supposes, she can pick off his plate when she finishes the little bit she’s placed on hers.

They make their way to the head table, a place originally intended for The Queen, Snow and Prince David, but as she’s grown closer to Robin, the more open she’s made the table. Now, Robin and Roland are allowed to sit amongst the royal family as well. They’ve become her family over the past few months, so it just made sense.

“Morning, Snow!” Roland greets happily, wiggling into his seat next to the princess. Regina sets his plate in front of him, running a hand through his hair as she makes eye contact with Snow, giving her a small smile and a nod as her greeting.

Her stepdaughter returns the gesture, focusing back on Roland and asking about his camping last night. The boy perks up, going on and on animatedly about all the things they did - like making shadow animals with the flames of the fire, and roasting marshmallows that Regina had conjured up for them to enjoy. Snow and David smile, chatting with the boy for a while before Regina reminds him to, “Eat your food, sweetheart. I don’t want you to be hungry later.”

“Okay, Gina,” he says, nodding and turning his little body so his legs dangle beneath the table. He jabs his fork into the pancake (a delicacy no one who’d returned from Storybrooke was ready to give up, so Regina had had to conjure up the ingredients for Granny to make endless supplies of pancakes each morning).

“Where’s Robin?” David asks, popping a piece of fruit into his mouth.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she looks around, uncertain of where he could be. He’d excused himself earlier, she figured just to go greet more of his men, but he’s yet to return. Shrugging, she notices John is not in the dining hall either, most likely still trying to take down the tents from last night and she assumes Robin is out there helping him. “He must be helping John.”

With that, Roland sits up straighter, talking around a mouthful of fluffy pancake to let them know of the ghost stories Little John had told them last night. She makes a mental note to remind John of how young Roland is and how he doesn’t need to hear such things, especially with his dreams of Zelena lately. He seems fine though, rather seems to have enjoyed the stories, so she’ll let it slide for now.

“Well,” she says, taking a deep breath as she swallows the last of her croissant. “I have some work to do.” Kissing Roland on the top of his head, she looks to Snow, confirming that she’s still available to watch him until Granny is done with the morning crowd. Snow nods, smiling at her and reassuring her that _we’ve got him_.

Making her way from the dining hall, Regina sneaks into her hidden library. It’s quiet in here, no one knows of this place except Snow and Robin, and they’re both otherwise occupied. Sighing, she walks around, trailing her hand along the plush couch that sits in front of the fireplace. She conjures a flame in her hand, tossing it onto the wood in the hearth. Heat instantly fills the room, ghosting over her chilled skin.

Closing her eyes, she breathes in deeply. This room use to be a place of solace for her when she couldn’t escape from Leopold out to the stables. She’d come here and hide, reading until dinner time, until she was expected to make an appearance. Opening her eyes again, she makes her way over the rounded mirror. It’s surrounded by silver, though not as twisted as the mirror in her vault back home. She runs her finger along the intricate detail around the glass before pressing her hand onto the smooth, glass surface. Regina whispers her son’s name, closing her eyes briefly to bring a mental image of her son to the forefront of her mind. The glass beneath her hand shakes, waving under her palm like water. She smiles upon hearing his sweet laughter, opening her eyes to see the image of her son on a playground. He’s safe, she knows this, knows Emma would never let anything happen to their son, but being able to see him, though he can’t see nor remember her, brings a sense of peace to her soul.

God, she misses him. Will always miss him. A year is too long, too torturous for a mother to be separated from her child. She’s been with Henry since he was just a few weeks old, always there to soothe every nightmare, change every diaper, kiss every scrape to his injured knees, so not being with him for this long feels like it’s slowly crushing her soul.

She’s so thankful she found Robin and Roland, falling in love with both of them. She knows they can never replace Henry in her heart, and Robin knows that too, claims he wouldn’t want to, but it’s helped her to grieve the loss of her son. She’s not certain she’d be alive today if it weren’t for Robin’s love and comforting words throughout the last few months.

_“Mom!” Henry giggles, hopping off the swing and running toward his mother._

_“Hey, kid,” Emma greets, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Ready to go home?”_

_Henry nods, his brown hair falling into his eyes. He really needs a haircut, Regina thinks with a pang. Her little boy, not so little anymore, runs over to a group of kids, all wearing the same uniform he is, and waves goodbye, promising to see them all tomorrow at school._

_The children all wave back, saying goodbye and smiling at her son. She’s so glad he has friends. He makes his way back over to the blonde, looping his arm with hers as they make their way down the street. Before the mirror fades away, she can faintly hear Henry say, “Can we go get ice cream?” She smiles sadly, hoping that he, indeed, got his sugary treat. He deserves it, and so much more._

Wiping a tear from under her eye, she shakes her head. The mirror is back to normal now, reflecting her sad image back to her. She stands there, staring at the woman in front of her. A woman who has lost a part of her soul, but one that is learning to move on, to live life as best as she can.

“Hey,” she hears, looking past her reflected shoulder. She smiles, tilting her head as Robin walks into view. He wraps his arms around her waist, staring at her through the mirror as his chin rests on her shoulder.

“Hey, yourself,” she says, smiling a watery smile at their reflection. She takes his forearm, turning it over to caress his lion tattoo - the tattoo that haunted her for so many years, knowing that she ran from true happiness. She has it now though, with him and Roland, and she can do nothing but smile at how fate has played out for her.

Turning in his arms, she wraps hers around his neck, leaning in and laying her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. The room is quiet, the only sounds to be heard are their breathing.

“How’s Henry?”

Smiling, she picks her head up, slanting it backward enough to be able to look into his blue eyes. God she loves his eyes. Robin has seen Henry before; she finally showed him the mirror a few months ago when he’d snuck into her hidden oasis like the thief that he is. “He’s good,” she tells him joylessly, “wonderful, actually.”

“That’s good,” Robin tries encouragingly, shrugging his shoulder and tilting his head down sympathetically. “You want him to be happy.”

Nodding, she agrees, saying it’s just hard to see him so happy without her. Despite how she feels though, he’s right. She is so glad that Henry is happy and seems to really love living in New York. Knows that if he had his memories, he’d want to be back home in his plaid covered bed while she reads him stories at night, but for now, for this reality, it’s good enough. He’s happy, content, and that’s all she can ask for.

Leaning up, Regina places a kiss to his lips. Parting her mouth, she peeks her tongue out, asking silently for his to open. He does, and she deepens the kiss, drawing a moan from the back of both of their throats. They stay there for a few more minutes, mouths meeting and hands roaming as they enjoy a quiet moment to just be alone together.

Pulling back, Robin smiles down at her. “I love you.”

Regina smiles brightly at his words, never tiring of hearing them. “I love you, too,” she promises, raising up a bit in her heeled shoes to press a gentle peck to his lips.

Stepping back, Robin takes her hand, tugging softly to have her follow him, saying Roland has been asking for her since breakfast. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been in her library, perusing the books that still reside on the shelves before checking in on Henry.

With the flick of her wrist, the flames in the fireplace die out and she makes her exit, giggling along with Robin as he jokes that people are going to think they snuck away to be _alone_ together all morning. Wouldn’t be the first time, anyway.

{******************}

That night, once Roland has been fed and put to bed, Robin takes her hand, telling her he has a surprise.

“A surprise? Robin,” she giggles, wondering what it could be. They’d enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner just her, Robin and Roland up in her bedchambers, and it’d been lovely. Sometimes it’s nice to get away and just be the three of them without everyone looking to observe the _Evil_ Queen with her new family.

He chuckles, pulling on her hand and leading them toward her courtyard. It sits just below her bedchambers’ balcony so she can always have the perfect view of her beloved apple tree. Granted, her balcony is a few floors above it, but it’s nice to be able to look down and see a part of her past. She loves that tree. It always reminds her of how she used to be, how she’s learning to be again.

Robin takes her over to the stone bench that goes around the circumference of the tree, having her sit in a certain spot. She giggles at his antics, narrowing her eyes playfully and asking what he’s up to. “You’ll see. Now,” he huffs, “close your eyes.”

Rolling her brown orbs, she dutifully closes them as she hears Robin’s footsteps walking away from her. She hears him come back soon after, scrunching her eyebrows in confusion.

“Okay,” Robin whispers, “you can open them.”

Shaking her head and chuckling at him, she opens her eyes slowly, peering around. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, save for the dessert Robin had brought out with them. It was a cake Granny had prepared for dinner tonight, and he’d swiped them a piece to take with them out to the apple tree. As she eyes the cake, she hears Robin clear his throat.

Turning a half turn in the other direction, Regina sees Robin on one knee, ring outstretched in his hand. Tears spring to her eyes and her right hand flies to her mouth, covering the huge smile that still peeks out beneath her fingers. “Robin…”

“Regina,” he says seriously. “A year ago when I met you, I never thought my life would turn out the way it has. You are stubborn,” she chuckles airily, wetly, “strong willed, an amazing mother,” a tear slips from her eye, “brave, smart, loving, stunning in every way… I could go on forever.” Robin smiles, taking her left hand in his and placing a kiss to her knuckle. “David tells me this is how it’s done in your other land, the man down on one knee.”

She lets out a breathy laugh, combing her fingers through her high, side ponytail then running her hand down the long, velvet sleeve of her navy dress. She cups his cheek, tilting her head and gazing into his eyes. “No matter how it’s done, I want you to know that I love you. Regina, you are my future.”

He inches closer, still on his knee, saying, “You’re my soulmate, the one I know I was born to gaze upon each morning, and the one I’m meant to kiss goodnight each evening. Pixie dust led you to me one time, and though you were too scared to go in, we’ve found our way back to one another. That says more to me than anything. The dust may have led us to one another, but it was still our choice. And Regina, I choose you.”

Regina smiles brightly as another tear slips free, not believing that this is happening. “Oh, Robin,” she breathes, running her hand down his cheek to rest at the base of his neck. “I love you so much.”

“And I, you, darling,” he promises, turning her hand he still holds over and placing a warm kiss to her palm. “Regina, will you marry me?” Robin hoists the ring up a touch higher, making sure she can see it clearly. Not that she cares, he could give her a piece of hay to tie around her finger, and she’d still say yes. As long as she gets to spend the rest of her life with this man, she doesn’t care what jewelry signifies their commitment.

“Yes,” she vows, shaking her head as more tears pool in her eyes. She notes his eyes are misty as well, reaching up to wipe beneath his watery eyes. “Yes, I will marry you, Robin.”

He slips the ring on her finger. It’s simple, but stunning - a gold band with a single diamond resting in the middle with tiny ruby stones flanking its sides. It looks familiar, she thinks, turning her questioning gaze to him. He smiles sheepishly, telling her he thought he’d borrow one from a long forgotten jewelry box of hers since he couldn’t go out into town a month ago when he knew he was going to propose. Snow had helped him pick it out, informing him that this was the ring Regina’s father had given to her on her eighteenth birthday, her first as queen. Tears slip free as she looks back down at the ring, remembering that her father had gifted this particular ring to her, saying the dark red stones were to represent the deepest parts of her heart, where she kept those that she loved closest to her. But as fate would have it, Leopold had stashed the ring away, giving her a much larger, gaudy piece to wear, insisting she keep it on her hand at all times. She’d never gotten to wear her father’s ring, and part of her is glad in this moment. Now it holds so much more meaning, now she can wear it without having a tainted memory of her husband to weigh it down.

Robin reaches up, swiping away her tear, asking if it’s okay, saying he’ll be glad to find her another ring if she wants. “No,” she shakes her head vehemently. “This one is perfect. Thank you, Robin.”

She smiles at him, asking if Roland knows. Robin chuckles, saying Roland is the one who helped he and Snow find the ring. He’s apparently been bouncing off the walls all day, knowing his papa was going to ask his Gina to marry him tonight. “I’m surprised he hasn’t snuck out and found his way out here yet,” Robin laughs.

The thought of Roland’s excitement sends a bout of guilt to her core, however, thinking of Henry and how she’s moving on with her life. He doesn’t remember her, she knows. She’s just another villain in a made up fairy tale in his mind, but he’ll always mean the world to her. Is she betraying Henry’s memory by moving on with Robin and Roland? Will Roland replace him in her heart? No, she thinks, shaking her head. No one could ever replace Henry in her heart. Fear grips at her as she wonders, hopes, that she’ll have enough room in her heart for Roland, too. She doesn’t want him to feel second best for the rest of his life. It’s never been like that before, she’s easily let Roland past the walls she has firmly in place. Roland and Robin both. They’re the only ones who saw past the Evil persona, the only ones to truly know _her_ , and it’s why she’s found it so easy to love them both.

“I can hear your thoughts from here,” Robin interrupts with a smirk, clasping both of her hands in his. “Henry is still a part of your life, my love. I just ask that me and Roland continue to be apart of it, too.”

Tears trickle down her cheeks, never wanting Robin to feel like he wasn’t welcome in her life, in her heart. “Robin,” she whispers around the lump in her throat, removing one hand from his to push her ponytail behind her shoulder. She stares deeply into his eyes, vowing, “You and Roland are more than welcome in my heart. You’ve taught me that I can still grieve, still miss my son, but that my life doesn’t have to stop.” He wipes a tear off his cheek before cupping hers to graze his thumb along her jaw. She closes her eyes at the contact, happy she gets to feel his touch for the rest of her life. “You’ve shown me what love is, shown me that just because I don’t have Henry, doesn’t mean I can’t have happiness. You’ve given me more than I ever thought possible.”

“I love you, Regina,” he declares, moving from the ground to sit beside her on the stone bench. She turns her body, facing him and vowing her love to him. “I have one more surprise for you,” he smiles.

“Another surprise?” she asks incredulously, scrunching her nose as she grins in his direction. “You’ve already given me so much.”

He takes a deep breath, signaling to her the severity of what he’s about to say. She turns more, facing him as directly as possible from where they sit knee to knee on the bench. Robin takes her hand in his, caressing his thumb over the ring now residing permanently on her left hand. She smiles down at their intertwined hands, roaming her eyes back up to his.

“Belle and I have been sneaking away, working the past few weeks,” he says, “trying to find a solution to our problem.”

That explains where he’s been going lately, just like this morning. Stunned, she asks, “A-a way home?”

Robin nods, saying now that they’ve defeated Zelena, he and Belle were able to look more closely at the items the bookworm had brought back from Rumple’s castle. Belle had slowly been bringing items back from his castle, saying there might be something in there to help but she needed more than just Neal’s help in examining the objects.

One item Belle had returned with was a long, black, wooden wand with a silver swirl surrounding the end of it. One book in Rumple’s possessions explained that this wand belonged to the Black Fairy, the most powerful fairy to ever exist. Although her wand could be used for great darkness, if held by a purveyor of light magic, then it could be used for good.

Regina smiles, knowing that she holds such light power. They’d discovered it a few weeks ago, in a battle against her sister. Zelena had her trapped in a magical chokehold, sucking the life from her with every attempt to breathe. Once she knew Robin and Roland were safely behind the barrier she’d created with everyone else, Regina released a gust of white magic from the palm of both her hands, vanquishing Zelena in an instant, surprising herself and everyone else around. She had light magic, the purest magic of all, and she couldn’t help but think Robin’s pure love was to thank for bringing it out in her.

“If the wand is yielded by light magic,” Robin explains, giving their still joined hands a light squeeze while his other hand finds purchase on her knee, “then it can perform any spell, no matter how big or farfetched.”

Regina nods, saying she’s heard of this elusive wand, the wand people have been in search of for centuries. She should’ve known Rumple was holding on to it in that castle of magical wonders. “We can go home,” she breathes, shaking her head in disbelief, thoughts of seeing Henry again bringing tears to her eyes once more.

“We can go home,” Robin agrees, nodding and smiling. His eyes glaze over with tears of his own as he looks at her, saying, “We can get Henry and finally all be together.”

Leaning in, she kisses Robin deeply, covering his mouth fully. She tilts her head from one side to the other, pouring all her thanks into this kiss. She can finally see her little prince, can finally hold him in her arms and tell him how much she loves him again. There’s the issue of his and Emma’s memories being erased, but if she can get back to Storybrooke, back to her vault, she knows she can create a memory potion for them. All the details aren’t worked out, but this is the best solution they’ve found, the only one they’ve found. She can get her son back once and for all.

“And we can be a family,” she vows as she pulls back, smiling into her mouth. Regina sits back, taking in a deep breath and biting her bottom lip. “Just like we were always meant to be.”


	3. Wild Card #1: Beating the Odds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina was told she has breast cancer eight months ago. See how she and Robin face this thing head on and fight for their happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Breast Cancer.
> 
> I did a lot of research and got help from Hollie, who has worked with breast cancer patients, to get the order of treatment in order, but a tiny bit of it was tweaked to fit the flow of the story. It’s fiction, y’all, but I did my best to make it as believable as possible! Please leave a review and let me know what you think. :)

**_Day 3_ ** **_: Wild Card #1 - Beating the Odds_ **

“Well, Regina,” Dr. Archie Hopper says, settling himself into his plush, leather chair behind his large desk. He pushes his glasses up on his face, opening her medical file. 

She grips Robin’s hand, turning her head to make eye contact with him. He squeezes her hand back supportively, always there for her. Her husband gives her a small smile and a nod before she takes a deep breath. She scans her eyes back to Dr. Hopper, hoping he’ll deliver the news, good or bad, quickly like he’s done so many times in the past eight months. 

The good doctor clears his throat slightly, looking up to make sure he’s connecting with their eyes for this news. “You are…”

Regina closes her eyes. Everything goes still, goes silent for a beat. The only sounds she can hear are the ticking of the clock on the wall - the one shaped like a Dalmatian that she’s always been curious about - the beat of her heart and the sounds of her breaths. It’s like she’s been submerged into water, drowning, and her breathing keeps telling her she’s still alive as the last eight months flash through her memory. 

It’s been eight months since her gynecologist found the lump on her breast during a routine exam. Eight months since she’d met Dr. Hopper, the city’s best oncologist. Eight months since her and Robin’s world had been turned on its axis and flipped every which way. 

_ She’d gone in for her yearly exam, hoping to speak with the doctor about removing her IUD so that she and Robin could finally try for a baby again. They’d tried, years ago, the second of their marriage. Nothing had ever taken, and they decided together to stop trying so hard. They were young, just barely twenty-five then, so they had time. They wanted to travel and see the world, cross things off their bucket list they’d always wanted to do together.  _

_ They’d made their lists sitting beside each other sophomore year of college, the year he’d finally asked her out. They’d giggled, amazed with how well their lists matched up. She knew then he was the one for her, the man she would spend the rest of her life with. They’d stayed together through college and first jobs, never wavering in their undying love for each other. Soulmates, their friends had called them, and she couldn’t help but agree every time Robin looked into her brown eyes, murmuring sweet nothings about how much he loved her.  _

_ Their wedding had been beautiful six years ago, just barely out of college but anxious to start their life together. Robin always claimed he never thought he’d get so lucky as to find a woman like her, and she felt the same way. She was lucky in every sense of the word that Robin had chosen to love her.  _

_ They’re twenty-nine now, almost thirty for him, and they’ve never been happier.  _

_ Until that day at the doctor’s office when the words  _ there’s a lump on your left breast that I’m concerned about _ and  _ let me refer you to my friend that’s an oncologist _ had slipped from her doctor’s mouth.  _

_ Her world had changed that day, calling Robin to ask him when he’d be home. He knew something was wrong, wrapping her in his strong arms the minute he walked in the door as she cried over burnt lasagna that she might have cancer.  _

_ “Cancer,” she cries as Robin reaches over their heads where they were crumpled on the kitchen floor, turning the oven off before the food could burn even further. “There’s a lump,” she tells him wetly, signaling to her chest. “They have to run some tests next week to see, but they’re pretty positive it’s cancerous.” _

_ “Shh,” Robin murmurs into her hair, standing them up and walking them in the living room. Settling down on the couch, he pulls her into his lap. “It will all be alright.” _

_ He talks to her, calming her fears. Robin says he knows it’s scary, it’s something they never thought they’d face, but it’s here, and they can do this. “We’re in this together,” he reminds her, “and you will survive.” _

_ She smiles into his neck, reaching up to wipe the tears off her cheeks. Raising her head, she notes his eyes have misted over as well, a tear streaking down his face. Regina reaches up, swiping under his eye to stop the tear’s decent as she nods, telling him he’s right. “I know,” she breathes. “I’m strong and can fight this, but God… it’s so scary to think about.” _

_ “I know, love,” he says, pulling her closer. They make plans for that weekend, something to distract them from the doctor’s appointment on Monday. They go to the beach, spending the weekend at their friend John’s beach condo. It was a beautiful couple of days, filled with laughter and love making, bonfires and promises to love each other through thick and thin, for all eternity. _

_ Then the worst had happened. Her doctor’s suspicions were proven correct. Stage three breast cancer. She was so young, she couldn’t believe it.  _ _ It is rare for women her age to be diagnosed at such a young age, and yet here she is. _

_ Dr. Hopper told her the best option would be to start with a mastectomy, which shocked her to the core. Losing her breast completely was never where she thought this would go. The doctor explained that they wouldn’t have to remove the entire breast, but a portion of it would have to be removed. Taking a deep breath, she’d looked to Robin, then back to Dr. Hopper. Nodding, she sighed. She told the doctor she wanted to think about it for a few days and get back to him, which he said was fine.  _

_ They’d talked it over that night, going through all the other options. In the end, Regina decided she wanted to face this cancer head on, she didn’t want to give it any more time to grow and spread, eating away at her body. She’d called Dr. Hopper two days after her appointment, telling him she wanted to go ahead with the surgery. _

_ Robin had been by her side, holding her through every tear, nightmare, and doctor’s visit.  _

_ They’d gone to the hospital two weeks after confirming the cancer for her surgery. Robin had taken off work, thankful he had an understanding boss who was willing to give him all the time he needed. He gripped her hand, tracing an absent pattern over her fingers as he leaned in, kissing her forehead lightly. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered into the quiet of her room. _

_ She could hear the monitors beeping and nurses talking in the hallway, but all Regina could focus on was Robin. He grounded her. She was nervous to say the least; they were removing a large portion of her left breast, and it would never look the same again. This had to work, though. She wasn’t sure how much her body could take. Surgery had to work; this cancer had to go away. _

_ “I’m scared,” she’d admitted quietly to her husband. He’d climbed in the tiny bed with her, careful of the wires attached to her body, reassuring her that only the bravest of people can admit fear. Robin hummed a soft melody then, relaxing her body almost to the point of sleeping.  _

_ “You’re so strong, Regina,” he vowed to her, rubbing her arm up and down. “You are going to survive this; you have to.” _

_ He’d been so good over the last few weeks, hardly showing his own fear. She knew he was trying to be brave for her, but she had heard him crying in the bathroom a few times when she was at her lowest points. It had broken her, crying herself to sleep those nights. She never wanted to hurt Robin, and she knows her cancer has done just that. _

_ Her eyes well with tears, nodding as she tucks her head under his chin. “I love you,” he tells her just before she drifts off. _

_ The surgery had gone well. They removed what they needed to, saying they would run more tests once she had healed a little bit to see what their next step would be. Robin had taken her home after a few days spent in the hospital, the doctor and surgeon giving her all the at home instructions they could possibly need. The shock of seeing her body after surgery had upset her, though, saddened to see her breast, one now half the size it used to be. _

_ “I look hideous,” Regina sighs, rubbing lotion over her arms as her thin robe drapes open. “I don’t know how you can look at me.” _

_ Robin scoffs lightly, coming to stand behind her. He looks at her through the mirror, assuring her that she is gorgeous. “You’re not hideous, my love,” he promises. He pulls her from where she sits, walking her over to their bed. “You are stunning…” he trails off, slipping the robe from her body as his eyes roam over the expanse of her flesh, “in every way.” _

_ She lays back, cushioning her head onto her pillow. He trails his lips up and down her body, whispering words of how beautiful she is. It’s been several weeks since her surgery, and they’re waiting on the latest test results to inform them if it worked, if she’s cancer free or not. They’d gotten the go ahead from her doctor to resume sexual activity last week, and they’ve enjoyed every minute of it. He’s had to be careful of her stitches, but everything else has been as normal as it was before her mastectomy.  _

_ Regina sighs, gliding her hand through Robin’s hair as he kisses up her torso. “You,” he says, placing a gentle kiss to her right breast, swirling his tongue around her nipple, “are,” another kiss to the center of her chest, making her smile, “beautiful,” he finishes, placing the lightest of kisses to her left breast, if she can even call it that anymore. They’d removed enough that her breast was now two cup sizes smaller than her right. She was grateful they’d left her nipple, working around it to remove what they needed. His lips ghost over her skin, knowing she’s still sensitive there, but the fact that he loves her body just the way it is is enough for her. _

_ She smiles down at him as he lavishes her chest with his affection. “I love you, Robin,” she vows softly.  _

_ Robin looks up, smiling sweetly at her. He leans in, pressing his lips to hers before continuing back to where he was. As his lips trail further down, making her squirm in anticipation, he mumbles into her skin how much he loves her, too. _

_ Their follow up appointment with the doctor is tomorrow, finally getting the results from the surgery to see if it worked or if she needs to go back for another treatment. She hopes, prays really, that this surgery did it. She’s so ready to beat this, ready to move on with their lives and put this whole breast cancer thing behind them. _

_ The surgery had worked, to a degree. But treatments were still needed before she could be declared cancer free. There was chemotherapy to target all the cells in her body, even the healthy ones, but Dr. Hopper had explained that the amazing thing with the human body was that the healthy cells could repair themselves while the cancer cells couldn’t. After the chemo, there was a chance she might have to go through a round of radiation, which would target just the cancerous cells still remaining in her body. _

_ The chemo had been more challenging than she was expecting, the treatment taking far longer than she’d anticipated. Robin sat by her side the whole time, though, holding her hand and reading her favorite novel to her quietly. The side effects gripped her more than she was prepared for emotionally as well.  _

_ “Robin!” she shouts, standing in the bathroom as she stares in horror down at her hands.  _

_ He comes rushing in at her alarmed tone. “What is it, baby?” he asks, scanning over her to make sure she’s alright. He looks down, seeing the clump of hair that rests in the palm of her hand.  _

_ Tears spring to her eyes, shaking her head as she looks into her husband’s eyes for reassurance. “It’s alright, Regina,” he whispers, taking the hair from her hand and tossing it in the toilet. “It’s just hair.” _

_ She bites her lip, wanting to scream that it isn’t  _ just _ hair, it’s  _ her _ hair, and it’s falling  _ out _. He leans over then, pressing a kiss to her lips. She smiles despite herself, always finding comfort in him. “It’s going to get worse,” Regina tells him, looking into his blue eyes. “It’s all going to fall out.” _

_ Robin sighs sympathetically, wrapping his arms around her and leading her to their bed. “You don’t know that,” he says as they climb under the soft covers. “And even if it does, I’ve always had a thing for bald women. Remember Sinéad O’Connor? I was hot for her growing up.” _

_ Regina laughs loudly at that, swatting his chest as the last of her tears dry. He always knows what to say to make her feel better. She scoots closer, draping her arm over his chest as she whispers, “Thank you,” into his chest. He tells her she’s welcome, even though there’s nothing to thank him for before they drift off to sleep. _

_ She woke the next morning with another chunk of hair on her pillow. It continued to fall out over the next few days before she finally broke down, crying silently as she told Robin to shave it off. He was her rock, shaving it in silence like he knew she needed as she watched her long, gorgeous, raven locks fall to the floor.  _

_ They’d gone back to the doctor a few months later for a check up, but the round of chemo hadn’t gotten the cancer quite like the doctor wanted. The next step was Dr. Hopper offering the option of radiation. He eased her mind, however, telling her that radiation was usually easier for people to go through, especially now that she’d survived a massive surgery and chemotherapy.  _

_ “What are the side effects?” Robin had asked, always so involved in her treatments.  _

_ Dr. Hopper smiled at her husband, telling them that there were, like with any type of treatment, multiple side effects. “Not everyone experiences all of them, or even the same ones,” he’d explained. The list included dry mouth, itching skin, breast or nipple soreness, difficulty swallowing, and nausea. _

_ He said the most likely side effects were skin irritation and fatigue, which after going through chemo, sounded like a dream. He told her the other less likely effects, like dry mouth and nausea, rarely affected women. She’d already gone through plenty of nausea with the chemo, so if she was stuck with that, as awful as it is throwing up every day, she was already used to it.  _

_ It was a good thing she was used to it, because she was one of the unlucky ones to feel the nausea after her treatment after all. Robin’s warm hand was on her flushed skin, rubbing circles to her back every step of the way. _

_ “It’s alright, Regina,” Robin soothes, rubbing her back as she cries into the toilet. She’d had her first round of radiation yesterday, and though the procedure didn’t take long, no more than fifteen minutes, she was feeling the effects of it now. _

_ “It’s not okay,” she sobs, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Of course, after all the nausea she’d been through with her chemotherapy, she’d get a case of it after radiation too. Life was just always finding ways to kick her in the teeth. “I still have cancer. I’ll never be able to give you a baby after this.” _

_ She knows that’s not true, not for certain anyway. The doctors have assured her that there’s still a chance, significantly lower than before but still there, of getting pregnant once she’s gone through her treatments.  It’ll be a challenge, getting pregnant, and they might have to think of adoption if she’s unable, but there’s still a small possibility. She holds onto that hope as much as she can.  _

_ Robin shushes her gently, rubbing her back again as another bout of nausea hits her. “You don’t know that, love,” he says, pulling her hair that’s slipped out of her ponytail back, “We can still try for a baby when all of this is over.” _

_ She nods into the porcelain bowl, knowing deep down he’s right. She’s not afraid of dying, not really. There’s always the chance, of course, but Regina is strong. She’s survived so much already in her life between the accident that took both her parents when she was just a teenager, the mastectomy six months ago and her chemo treatment a month after that. She knows she’ll beat this; she has to. Her mind is already set. Cancer is not going to kill her.  _

_ She’d felt the effects of radiation for weeks, the nausea ceasing a day or two after her treatment thankfully, and the skin irritation settling in its place. It hadn’t worked though, the radiation, not entirely. Dr. Hopper called them back into his office to tell her the lump had gotten significantly smaller after the treatment but was still there. He feared it would spread, so he’d given her options then. She could do another round of radiation or they could attack it head on with another surgery, minor in comparison to her first. They would go in laparoscopically and remove what was left of the tumor. _

_ “Is that my best option?” she’d asked bravely, squeezing Robin’s hand as he listened on. “Will that finally get rid of this from my body?” _

_ The doctor had smiled sympathetically, nodding as he adjusted his glasses, saying he couldn’t definitively say what would absolutely, with no uncertainty, get rid of her cancer, because there was no one hundred percent guarantee of any choice. “But, personally,” Dr. Hopper said, “I do feel the laparoscopy is your best bet.” He knew she and Robin wanted to try for a baby at some point after this cancer was behind her, and he feared too much radiation would eradicate her chances of ever being pregnant. _

_ They’d gone home that night after hearing all that the doctor had to say, talking it over with one another. Eventually, she decided she’d rather try to knock it out with another surgery. It seemed the fastest route to getting rid of this disease racking her body, and Robin had been there, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand saying, “Whatever you think is best, my love.”  _

_ She’d called the doctor the next day, discussing in more detail her options, eventually deciding to go ahead with the last surgery.  _

_ “How about when all of this is over,” Robin says a few days later, walking into the kitchen, “I take you somewhere nice.” _

_ “Like a vacation?” she asks smugly, eyeing him suspiciously. He smirks in her direction, loosening the tie he’d worn to work from around his neck. She leans over, careful not to hit the pot on the oven, and kisses his lips tenderly.  _

_ He hums, saying, “A vacation, or… something.” He chuckles, patting her on the rear before sitting at the bar stool of the island to watch her cook. “I definitely owe you some kind of treat.” _

_ She rolls her eyes playfully, turning the burner down to let the sauce heat but not overcook. Regina leans against the kitchen counter, wiping her hands on the dish towel as she looks over at him with a smile on her face. “You do, huh?” _

_ Robin nods, looking at her seriously as he tells her she’s been so strong over the last eight months. “You’re the bravest, strongest woman I know, Regina,” he says, “and you deserve it.” Standing and taking her hand, he leads her to the couch, wrapping his arm around her as she cuddles into his side.  _

_ Breathing him in, she giggles. She doesn’t know how she got so lucky as to find this man, but she’s damn sure glad she did. His hand slides through her short hair, now just long enough to be considered a pixie cut. Robin swears he loves it each time she complains about how it’s still so short, claiming he wants her to keep it like this for a bit longer.  _

_ “So what do you want, hmm?” he asks, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “If you could have anything, what would you want?” _

_ She laughs, thankful today is a good day. She’s had more good days than bad lately, her body fighting against the monster within more and more each day. She thinks for a moment, tapping her chin coyly as she purses her lips and looks up her Robin. “Well… you know I’m always up for going to Bora Bora, but since we can’t afford that right now, I’ll just take a really big margarita.” _

_ He laughs, leaning his head back to let it all out. She sits up, laughing along with him. They’d gone on a date a few nights ago, and she hadn’t been able to drink. Alcohol had given her a migraine the last time she tried after her radiation treatment, so she’d decided it just wasn’t worth it until she was completely in the clear. _

_ “That I can do,” Robin chuckles, sinking further into the couch and pulling her along with him.  _

_ She slides down, resting her head on his chest, letting her hand skim over his bicep. God, she loves this man. They haven’t lost their appetite for one another, thankfully, just having to slow down a bit while she was feeling so sick. She knows her body doesn’t look like it used to, between the weight loss, hair loss and partial breast removal, but he promises her each time she’s feeling self conscious that he didn’t fall in love with her body, he fell in love with  _ her _ , and she’s still the same woman he married six years ago, the same woman he plans on spending the rest of his life with. _

_ Regina stands after a moment, pulling Robin up with her. She presses her lips to him fiercely, drawing a moan from his lips. She pulls back, biting her bottom lip and telling him that dinner is ready, but it can wait a little bit longer. He grins, cupping her cheek and kissing her deeply, agreeing that he’s not hungry for pasta right now anyway. _

_ They’d gone to the hospital two days later for her final surgery.  _

Regina pulls herself back to reality, hoping this whole nightmare is finally over. She opens her eyes as Dr. Hopper exclaims, “...cancer free!” stunning her and Robin in the best way possible.

She smiles over at Robin, then looks toward the doctor. “It’s… gone?” she asks, not fully believing his words. She’d had the surgery, removed almost all the meat of her breast to make sure they got the tumor, had treatment after treatment, but even knowing that, she couldn’t believe it. 

Dr. Hopper smiles, nodding his head with a  _ you're free!  _ He stands then, handing the file over to Regina so she can read over her test results the best she can. He knows she doesn’t understand the medical jargon completely, but she has to see it for herself to believe that she’s really been given a second chance at life. 

Looking up from the file and over the Robin, her eyes gloss over with tears. Her sweet husband, whose mouth has been covered in astonishment since the doctor’s good news was heard, let’s his hand drop, cupping the back of her head and drawing her close. 

Robin leans in, pressing his forehead to her while whispering reverently, “You did it. I’m so proud of you.”

A tear falls from his eye, landing on the denim covering her thigh. She smiles warmly, tears of her own cascading down her cheek. 

Regina pulls back, breaking the contact of their foreheads so she can press a kiss to his lips, the salt of their joyous tears mingling together on their mouths. 

“Thank you,” Regina says, turning to Dr. Hopper as she swipes underneath her eyes, pushing the fallen tears away. He tells her no thanks are needed, she was the warrior who did all the hard work. 

The doctor tells them of check up appointments and medicine she’ll have to continue taking for the next few weeks, how she’ll still experience phantom sensations as her nerves regrow around the surgical area, but she’s in the clear for now, and they should go out to celebrate. 

The couple stand, linking hands as they make their way from the building. She thinks of that baby she’d been so longing for eight long months ago, realizes that in a year’s time she’ll be in the clear to try and get pregnant. No matter how slim their chances may be thanks to the chemo she went through, she’s alive and able to try eventually. So she’ll follow Robin’s example and have hope that this can work out for them some day. They can finally have that little bundle of joy they’ve longed for for so long. 

“I love you,” she tells Robin as they walk toward their car. “Thank you for sticking by me through all of this.” 

He halts their steps, pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her waist. He sighs, shaking his head as he tucks a tiny piece of her short hair behind her ear. Robin cups her cheek, smiling as he leans down to kiss her once again. “I love you, Regina, and I’m with you, always, no matter what you’re going through, just as I know you’d be for me.” 

She grins, agreeing and saying she’d be there for him through anything.  _ For better or worse _ , she reminds him with a tearful smile. He bites his bottom lip, leaning down to press his lips to her forehead. “Come on,” he says, bringing her closer to their car as she spies him wiping beneath his eye as well. “I still owe you that drink.” 

She laughs, truly and wonderfully at that as he opens her car door for her. “Yes,” she states slyly, “I suppose you do.” 

Regina pauses at the car door, leaning her head back to look at the sky. It’s a beautiful day; the most beautiful she’s seen in a very long time. She can hear the birds chirping louder than she’s ever noticed before, and the breeze sweeps over her face, tracing a light pattern across her cheeks. She tilts her head back down, catching Robin’s gaze from across the roof of the car. Regina scrunches her nose in his direction lovingly as she smiles at him. The sun shines on her face, and for the first time in almost a year, Regina feels like herself again.


	4. Pre-Curse: Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed the title of this whole week to “Happily Ever Afters” because I wasn’t satisfied with just “OQ Happy Ending Week 2018” haha - sorry if you noticed/got confused :)

**_Day 4_** ** _:_** **_Pre-Curse  - Second Chances_**

“There he is,” the curly haired blonde whispers, pointing through the glass window of the tavern door, “the guy with the lion tattoo.”

“That’s him?” Regina asks, amazed, staring at the back of a man surrounded by green pixie dust. She wonders if he sees it or can feel it, or if this fairy has only given her the ability to see the magic. 

The fairy, Tink, smiles sadly at her, saying, “Pixie dust doesn’t lie.” Turning to look at her, she goes on telling Regina this is her chance at love and happiness. “A fresh start, no baggage, you can let go of all the anger that weighs you down.” Regina smiles at those words, never wanting anything more than that. She just wants to be happy for once. “Go get him,” the fairy encourages.

Regina swallows thickly, “Okay,” she says, turning back to look through the window. “Okay, I can do this,” she says more to herself than her new fairy friend. Fear grips her heart, wondering if she  _ can _ do this. She’s never known happiness except with Daniel, isn’t sure happiness like this exists for her. She feels like she’s doomed to be miserable for the rest of her life as punishment for what she let happen to her first love. “I can be happy?” she asks with a disbelieving smile on her face, looking at Tink once more. 

“I know you can,” Tink vows, patting Regina on the arm. “Go.” Tink walks off after one more encouraging look in her direction, leaving Regina to stare at her supposed soulmate through the dingy glass.

She freezes with her hand on the door handle, questioning what she’s doing. She knows Daniel would want her to be happy again, even though he can’t be there to provide that happiness. She’s married, yes, but it’s a farce of a marriage. One shrouded in abusive language behind closed doors and too tight of grips to her arms when she doesn’t do what is expected of her at dinner parties. Taking a deep breath, Regina swings the door open and stands there, letting the coolness of the night sway around her. She looks around, alarmed, contemplating just shutting the door and running back to the palace. She’s afraid. Afraid of what walking into this tavern could mean. Her whole life could change, but that’s what she wants, isn’t it? 

Sighing, she walks in. Regina looks around, taking note of all the peasants, some dirtier than others, sipping their ale and merrily laughing amongst each other. They seem happy, despite not having all the riches that have been bestowed upon people like her. A few men stare at her, giving her slimy, half toothed smiles. She hopes this man, the one with the tattoo, at least has all his teeth. Not that such trivial things should matter to her, appearance isn’t everything, but her mother’s voice is engrained in her mind, no matter how hard she tries to get rid of it, telling her  _ a lady as beautiful as you, dear, should only be with the finest of men _ . That rule clearly didn’t apply when a king, old enough to be her father, came asking for her hand in marriage.

Taking another deep, calming breath, Regina turns her sights away from the greasy men to the man with the lion tattoo. His back is still to her, bringing the freshly filled mug to his lips.  _ Be brave, Regina _ , she tells herself. If he doesn’t want her, then at least she’s had one night of freedom to remember the rest of her lonely days stowed away in the castle. 

Clearing her throat as she walks around to the other side of his table, she smiles sheepishly. “Hello,” she says, tucking an imaginary piece of hair behind her ear. It’s half pulled up, the soft curls falling in waves behind her back. 

He looks up, smiling in her direction and making her knees go weak. His eyes are a beautiful, clear blue - one she thought she’d only see on summer vacations at the beach staring into the deep, ocean water. His dimples peek out, entrancing her. “Good evening,” he speaks, his accent far different from hers, but one she isn’t opposed to listening to forever. “And who might you be?” He signals for her to sit across from him, making her realize that she’s still standing awkwardly, staring into the handsome face of this stranger.

“I’m R…” she stops momentarily, not wanting to give her real name, afraid he’d recognize it and send her back home for a reward. “Raven,” Regina finishes, picking up the bottom of her ivory, beaded dress to swing her leg over the wooden bench.

“Ah,” he sighs, shaking his hand free of the condensation of his mug and stretching it out in her direction. “Robin of Locksley, at your service.”

She smiles, loosening up the longer she gazes upon his face. “What brings you here on this fine evening?” he asks her, a grin on his face. It’s almost as if he has a secret he’s keeping from her, or he’s playing some type of game with her. Perhaps this is flirting, she isn’t quite certain. 

Regina goes on, telling him a made up story of how she’d been wandering the village all day. She informs him of her granny and how she’s been sick for months. She’d been out trying to find a healer that might be able to help and happened upon this tavern on her way back, deciding she needed a drink. Robin smiles at that, signaling the waitress to bring another of whatever he’s drinking over to her. 

She isn’t sure she’ll like it, only being served the finest wines in all the lands her whole life, especially since becoming queen. But, she supposes, she’s living on the edge tonight, embodying this  _ Raven _ as more time goes on. She thanks the waitress with a small smile, lifting the cup to clink against Robin’s before slowly bringing it to her lips. She sips, straining the froth she first encountered through her teeth as the amber liquid slides down her throat. It’s bitter, she thinks, not something she’s accustomed to, but it’ll do.

“Well?” he asks, raising his eyebrows smugly. He’d joked that she might not like it, claiming she appeared to be a woman above drinking such libations. Not wanting to stand out, realizing her dress and jewelry already did that for her, she swishes the liquid around in her mouth, tilting her lips to one side as she raises her eyebrows. She swallows as she looks up to the man, claiming, “Not bad.”

He laughs, slapping his hand on the wooden table surface and admitting she’ll fit right in if she can stomach this tavern’s ale. 

“So, what brings  _ you _ here tonight?” she asks, taking another small sip of her drink. 

He smiles, saying he’d been in the forest all day with his friends, acquiring goods to take back to their home. She nods, trying to play the part of someone who understands the need for such things as having to go out and get provisions to live off of. She’s never once had to do that, always being handed things from servants and maids. She’d always disliked it, though, always wanting to go out and explore the world around her, which is why she’d snuck out so many times growing up.

They talk for a long while, Robin sharing information about his friends and the places he’s been. He’s well traveled, something she’s envious of, but he claims being in the forest is the only place he truly feels at home, though he wouldn’t mind having a more stable roof than that of a tent over his head at night. “Especially on the nights it storms,” he chuckles.

Regina laughs breathily, again not being able to relate to sleeping in a tent but knowing so much what it’s like wanting to live somewhere else. “I can understand wanting to live somewhere different,” she supplies candidly, shrugging her shoulder. 

He looks questioningly at her, asking if living with her granny is not all she wants it to be. 

Shit.

Widening her eyes for the briefest of seconds, she clears her throat before taking another sip of her ale. “Oh,” she breathes, “Granny is wonderful.” She tells him how this made up granny, who in her mind is very similar to an old woman who’s always been kind to her in the castle, provides much safety for her. “She feeds me well and makes sure I’m safe at night.” Not a far stretch of the truth, the old woman that works for her husband is the only one to check on her after Leopold comes in, having his way with her and berading her for something she’d inevitably done wrong that evening. 

Robin nods, saying he’s glad she has someone to take care of her. He tells her of a man, Friar Tuck, that lives amongst his men is very similar to this  _ granny _ . She notes he draws that word out, as if he doesn’t believe her, but she brushes it off, asking more about the Friar.

“He’s a wonderful old man,” Robin says with a gleeful smile. “He keeps us on the right track when we tend to stray too far, especially some of my rowdier men.”

She giggles, looking around the room and then back to him. There’s a lull in their conversation, not unpleasant, however. It’s a comfortable silence as she takes in the tavern around her. She’s never been inside one before, didn’t quite know what to expect. There’s wooden tables all around and barmaids in dresses that show far too much cleavage for what she’d expect serving drinks to all types of men and women. There’s a group in the corner that she’s convinced are pirates, while she spies another two men in the other corner passed out with their mugs still attached to their hands as a sneaky woman steals the coins from their pockets. Regina looks back to Robin, who quickly averts his gaze away from hers, picking up his mug to take a sip. She smirks, asking, “Do you come here often?”

Robin goes on, telling her how he visits other taverns but this one is closest to where he and his men are living at the moment. They’ve set up a temporary camp not far from here, hoping to one day find a more permanent forest to live in. He tells her how he and his men, these Merry Men, as he keeps referring to them, have recently taken up stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. A sheriff in a nearby town, Sherwood, has been raising the taxes for these poor families, taking all that they have. 

“That’s awful,” she admits with a crease to her brow, settling further into the bench. She’s been here a while now, an hour or two at least, and she finds she quite enjoys conversation with this mysterious man.

He nods, agreeing, saying, “Hence why my men and I started doing what we could.”

She understands, though unlawful as it might be. She isn’t allowed to make decisions for her kingdom, but she sees the harsh reality when she sneaks into their local villages. Her husband is considered a benevolent king, always helping as much as he can, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by her that he still has the finest of jewels and clothing while his loyal subjects live in rags. They don’t go hungry, however, so at least there’s that. “Sounds like you are doing a wonderful thing, helping these people.”

He smiles at her, reaching over to take her hand in his. It’s a bit forward, she barely knows this man, but the contact brings a sense of peace to her, and she smiles, opening her hand and letting his slide in even further. The hand he’s used to hold hers turns over, showcasing his lion tattoo to her once again, and she reminds herself that she’s here for a reason. This man is supposed to be her soulmate, so she lets herself relax even more.

His thumb rubs the palm of her hand as he takes a sip of his second mug of ale since she’s sat down. “I’m glad the queen approves,” he says with a smug grin on his face. 

Regina freezes, straightening her shoulders and withdrawing her hand from his. She places her hands in her lap, clasping her fingers together in an attempt to not fidget. Mother never approved of her fidgeting. “Wh - what do you mean?”

He laughs loudly, placing a hand on his belly as it bounces with mirth. He takes a calming breath, apologizing through his laughter at her stunned face. “I’m sorry, milady, but you have not fooled me.”

Her eyes widen, taking a deep breath and starting to stand in a hurry. He sobers then, his laughter dying on the tip of his tongue as his brow furrows. He stands just as quickly, cutting her off before she can leave the table. “No, please don’t leave,” Robin whispers into the space between them, his hands coming to rest on her biceps. 

“Y-you know who I am,” she stammers out quietly, looking around to make sure they haven’t caused too grand a scene. She’d hate for someone else to recognize her. 

“Yes, your highness,” he states sincerely, like he’s keeping a secret from the rest of the world, “I do.”

She looks down at the floor, then brings her eyes back up to his, her brown ones searching his face for answers. Is he going to betray her? Turn her in? Will he keep her safe? There’s a thousand questions roaming in her mind as she tells him softly, “I prefer Regina.”

Robin smiles, teasing her that he’s happy to not call her Raven anymore. She smirks, a light chuckle leaving her breathlessly as she lets him guide her back to the table. He sits on the same side as her this time, turning his body so their knees graze against one another. 

“So, Regina,” he mumbles, respecting her unspoken wish to not be outed in front of all these people. “What really brings you here?”

Regina sighs, placing a hand on the table to strum against her mug as the other fiddles in her lap with a bead on her dress. She scans the room cautiously before bringing her eyes to meet his. He’s staring at her intently, unmoving from her gaze. She likes that, the eye contact, no one ever seems to really look at her in the palace.

“I had to get away,” she tells him somberly, earning a sympathetic smile from him in return. “I was trapped. I needed to get out.”

“Surely being queen is a good life, no?”

She sighs, rolling her eyes lightly before telling him about how awful life as the queen really is. Regina tells him of Daniel, his death, and how her mother had accepted the king’s proposal for her, surprising herself at how open she’s being. She’ll blame it later on the two mugs of ale she’s ingested tonight, though she knows, deep down, it’s his understanding eyes that make her feel like she can entrust him with all of her secrets.

He grazes against her hand, bringing it away from the mug and intertwining their fingers. It feels nice, having a comforting touch again, so she squeezes his hand gently in confirmation that she’s alright with the contact. “The king is not a good husband?” he asks, making her chuckle humorlessly. 

“He’s awful,” she admits dejectedly, going on the tell him more truths about the so called beloved king. Regina tells him how she’s expected to act a certain way, do certain things, wear particular outfits on specific days. Every aspect of her life, down to when she eats, is scheduled, controlled by King Leopold. “But I’ve never been one to submit to authority,” she says with a smirk, thinking of all the times she’d snuck out of her castle growing up, infuriating her mother to no end. “Which causes many problems in my marriage.”

Robin breathes out a chuckle, saying he’s not surprised by her reluctance to submit. She smiles, biting down on her bottom lip. He seems to know her so much better than anyone ever did already, save for her father, and they’ve only known each other for one evening. 

She reveals more, telling him about the bruises the king has left on her arms before (which causes Robin to scowl deeply, protectively) all because she didn’t want to attend a certain event and the harsh words he’s spoken to her when no one else was around, breaking her soul down piece by piece, hoping she’d one day conform to his image of what a queen should be. “He wants me to be just like his late wife, Queen Eva,” she says, shaking her head sadly, “but I can’t do that. I don’t love him like she did.”

“You shouldn’t have to be like anyone else, Regina,” he says sincerely, “You’re wonderful just the way you are.”

She smiles, looking deeply into his eyes and thanking him. He assures her that there’s no need to thank him, he’s simply telling the truth. “We’ve only known each other for a few hours, but I can already tell you’re a strong willed woman,” he says earnestly, both smirking at each other. “I can’t imagine any man trying to control you.”

Regina nods, saying she just had to get away from there. When a fairy showed up, saying she could take her to happiness, she couldn’t refuse the offer. She tells him how Tink had stolen a small bit of pixie dust, claiming it could lead Regina to her soulmate. It led them there, to this tavern, to a man with a lion tattoo. She traces the outline of his tattoo as she finishes, smiling up in his direction. “It was me?” he asks, biting his lip to tamper a smile. 

“Yes,” she nods with a smile and a raise of her eyebrows, joining their fingers once more. “I almost didn’t come in, but I’m glad I did.”

Robin smiles brightly, saying, “I’m glad you came in, too,” before leaning a touch closer to her. Their knees knock against each other’s again, causing them both to laugh softly. “Would it be alright if I kissed you?” he asks quietly, saying he doesn’t want to just do it, as he knows the king has done so many times. He wants this to be her decision.

Her head spins, clouded by emotions. She’s only ever willingly kissed Daniel, and it’d taken months for them to get to that point. They were both so unsure of how to do anything, both too scared to move their relationship forward. This is different though, somehow. Robin feels different, talking with him tonight has been like catching up with a long lost friend, conversing with someone she feels like she could tell everything to and still not run out of topics to discuss. 

Smiling nervously, she takes a leap of fate. That pixie dust clearly brought her to him for a reason. Leaning in, she cups his cheek, whispering an  _ okay _ in the space left between them.

Robin grins proudly, bringing his hand up to nestle into her hair before sliding it down to cup her cheek in much the same manner as she’s done his. His thumb grazes along her jawline as his eyes trace over her face, almost as if he’s trying to memorize her like this. 

Leaning in, he presses his lips to hers, gently at first. The moment their lips meet, it’s as if everything in the world makes sense. She can feel a jolt of electricity go through her, and she’s not sure if she actually felt it or if it’s all in her mind. Regina sighs into the kiss, letting her hand drop from his cheek to the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. She moans softly, just a rattle in the back of her throat as he tilts his head to the side, giving them more access to each other. His hand on her cheek stays planted as his other reaches up, tangling in her long locks at the back of her head. He matches her moan, pulling her as close as possible. 

They pull apart, panting slightly for new breath. They stay there, unmoving as they search each other’s faces for a signal that the kiss was the right thing to do. It was, of course, so she rubs her lips together, moving them into a smile as she nods her head. Robin sighs, almost relieved, as he moves back a bit, giving them both some breathing room. 

She looks around, embarrassed that she’d let herself get so swept up in the moment, forgetting that they were in a crowded tavern. Her brows pinch together, however, realizing most patrons have cleared out at some point in the night. Clearly they’ve been here talking far longer than she anticipated.

“I don’t want to go back,” she confesses after a beat of silence. “I hate it there.”

Robin nods, agreeing that she doesn’t seem the type to be controlled by a king. He tells her there’s a whole world out there, one she can escape to, where she can be free. There’s villages and towns all around just waiting for her. “You don’t have to go back. You’ve already escaped tonight, what’s stopping you from going anywhere you want to?”

“I’m nervous, Robin,” she breathes out, twisting her lips in apprehension as she looks into his eyes. “I’ve never been this wreckless before.”

He smiles at her, assuring her that she doesn’t need to be nervous. She’s a grown woman, fully capable of making decisions for herself, despite what she’s been raised to think. She knows this, had already told him that she was never one to listen to anyone’s forceful directions, but this is different. This is huge. This is her planning to leave the palace and never return, whether that’s with Robin or not. She knows after tonight she can never go back, can never be under that man’s ruling thumb ever again.

She just wants a fresh start, wants to be where no one knows her as the Queen, where nobody is trying to control every part of her life. “I just want a second chance at life,” she says with a sad smile, a lump forming in her throat. 

He smiles sympathetically, running his hand through her hair. “That’s what I’m looking for, too.”

Robin tells her of his girlfriend Marian and how she’d died because of him, because of one of his thefts gone wrong. She’s sympathetic, of course, knowing what it felt like to lose someone you love so much. She’d told him of Daniel earlier, and she sees now that he truly understands the pain she went through, blaming yourself every day for the death of someone who was taken far too soon from this earth; they have so much more in common than she’d ever imagined.

He leans in, pressing a quick peck to her lips before sitting back. They each pick up their mugs, taking one last sip of their drinks before Robin says, “Come on, let’s get out of here.” 

She looks at him nervously, unsure of what he means. They’ve kissed, yes, but she’s not ready to give her body to him just yet. Soulmates or not, they’ve only known each other one night. 

He laughs, saying, “My camp is not far from here, Regina. You can get a good night's rest until morning when we can make a plan of what to do next with a clear mind. We can figure out how to help you escape from your kingdom once and for all.”

She could be free. Truly free. Regina shakes her head in disbelief. “You’d do that for me?”

“Call me crazy,” he laughs, his dimples showing again, “but yes. We’ve only known each other for an evening, but I’d do anything to help you be happy.”

Smiling, they stand from the bench. He takes her hand, wrapping his strong fingers around hers and leading her from the now empty tavern as they giggle all the way out together.  
  


{******************}

“Tink!” Regina shouts joyfully, seeing their fairy friend landing on their front porch. Her wings flap as she shakes her shoulders, sending them back into her skin to be hidden. The blonde girl smiles brightly, waving as she walks closer to she and Robin. Regina wraps her arms around the fairy, whispering into her hair that it’s good to see her again.

They’ve been married for four years now, Robin and Regina, and Tink makes it her mission to stop by every few months to give them updates on the life they’d left behind so long ago. 

Robin had built them a beautiful log cabin, one that sits on the outskirts of Sherwood forest, far enough away from the Enchanted Forest that she can’t ever be found by her ex-husband’s guards. There’d been a mishap a year into their marriage, soon after Robin had put the last finishing touches on their new home. Her mother had found them, somehow, Regina always assumes it’d been her mother’s magic, the magic Regina possesses but never wants to use. She saw growing up what horrible things those abilities could do, so she’d made a vow to herself to never put it to use unless absolutely necessary. 

She’d been washing clothes in the large lake that sits just behind their home, wringing out the water when she’d heard her mother’s voice. 

_ “You’re coming with me, Regina,” Cora told her sternly, yanking her up from where she knelt by the water. “Oh, Regina…” her mother scoffed, seeing her enlarged stomach that kept their first child safe. “You foolish girl!” _

_ She’d slapped her then, raking her hand across Regina’s cheek so hard that a red hand print instantly presented itself there.  _

_ Regina brought her hand to her cheek, wishing the newly formed tears that welled in her eyes away. She could not show her mother weakness. “I’m not going with you, Mother. I’m happy here.” _

_ Cora scoffs again, fixing the hem of her glove coolly as she looks around, eyeing their cabin up and down with disdain. “This is no life for my daughter. You are the  _ Queen _ ,” _

_ “No, I’m not,” Regina forces out, cutting her mother’s explanation off. “I’m happily married to Robin, I’m not the queen anymore.” _

_ Rolling her eyes, Cora takes Robin’s damp shirt from Regina’s hands, flinging it to the ground. She takes her hand, twisting her wrist as she pulls her from the lake closer to her large, black carriage.  _

_ “No!” Regina shouts, twisting her body as much as she can away from her mother. It pains her, she can feel the bones in her wrist twisting in all the wrong ways. “Robin!” _

_ She prays to anyone above that Robin can hear her from inside their home. He’d been preparing their evening meal while she finished the laundry, but hopes her shouts are enough to bring his focus back to her. “Robin, help!” _

_ Cora reaches back, slapping her across the mouth this time, telling her through clenched teeth to keep quiet. They get to the carriage, Cora shoving Regina inside. As she goes to climb in, the sound of silver metal slicing through her skin can be heard.  _

_ “Release my wife now,” Robin states, more calmly than Regina would expect. She shouldn’t be surprised though. She’s always been the hot tempered one in their marriage, while he handles things more collected (on the outside anyway, she thinks with a smug grin. He’s just as high tempered as her on the inside).  _

_ Cora groans in pain, Robin’s sword hitting all the right tendons in her back. “She is  _ my _ daughter.” _

_ “And she no longer belongs to you,” Robin tells her, twisting his sword in her shoulder before pulling it out. Cora falls to the ground as Robin pushes the half opened carriage door open, revealing Regina to him. He sighs in relief, stretching out his hand for her to take. She does so, wrapping her fingers around his as he helps her down the step of the carriage.  _

_ He rubs her belly, asking if the baby is alright. She smiles, rubbing his hand resting on her stomach, assuring him their baby is fine.  _

_ She looks down, noticing Cora has yet to get up. Her mother groans, slowly dragging herself to her feet, cursing Robin all the while. “You will regret this,” Cora says, moving closer to Robin with an outstretched hand. _

_ Images of being in a stable late one night, Cora with her hand in the same position moving toward Daniel flash before her eyes. She refuses to lose another true love, her soulmate this time, to her mother’s wrath.  _

_ “No!” Regina shouts, jumping in front of Robin. Her mother’s hand plunges into her own chest, knocking the breath from her lungs.  _

_ “Regina!” Robin shouts, gripping her hips to keep her from falling backward.  _

_ Cora hesitates, her fingers wrapped tightly around her daughter’s heart. “You idiot!” _

_ Regina shakes her head, tears misting her eyes. One tear slips free as she tells her mother that she won’t let her take another man she loves away from her. Cora scoffs, saying she doesn’t know what true love is. _

_ Regina smiles sadly at her mother as her vision begins to blur. “It is you, Mother, that doesn’t know true love.” _

_ Cora grips her heart tighter, beginning to yank her heart from her chest. Her hand is stopped though, unable to remove Regina’s organ. They both furrow their brows, making eye contact with one another. _

_ “That’s impossible,” Cora seethes, pulling harder on Regina’s heart. She can feel the tug in her chest but can also feel how her body has formed an unmovable wall. Her heart isn’t leaving her chest. Not today, not ever.  _

_ “No,” Regina breathes, turning her head to glance over her shoulder at Robin’s concerned gaze. She smiles at him as another tear skims down her cheek. “That’s love.” _

_ With that, a blast of white magic radiates from Regina’s body, flinging Cora away from her. Her mother crashes into the ground, breaking her neck in the process.  _

_ Regina gasps, trying to catch her breath now that her heart has been released. It’s beating fast, trying to regulate itself. She reaches down, rubbing her large bump to make sure their baby is still safe. She feels a kick to her hand, causing her to smile tearfully.  _

_ She bites her lip, turning to look at Robin. He’s terrified, looking from her to Cora who lays still by the lake’s edge. “Regina,” he breathes, capturing her face gently with both hands. He leans down, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Are you okay?” _

_ She nods as he lowers his hands to her stomach, rubbing the bump there and whispering comforting words to their child. _

Cora had died that day, her injuries too much for her old body to handle. They’d buried her properly in the forest a few miles from their home, promising each other to never speak of it again. The pain of that day too heavy for either of them, despite their true love being the reason Regina was alive today.

Even though Cora is gone from their lives, there are still precautions Regina must take when going into the nearest village. They live in Sherwood, but the sheriff has strong ties to King Leopold, and she can’t risk being caught. Robin or his men, who live in their now permanent camp close by, usually go into town when supplies are needed, but when she does, she’s sure to keep a cloak on with the hood pulled over her eyes. 

“What brings you here today, Tink?” Robin asks, placing his arm around Regina’s shoulder. 

They all settle onto the rocking chairs one of Robin’s men, Little John, had made for them just after the birth of their first son, Henry. He’d claimed they needed chairs that rocked so they could settle the little lad while still being able to look out on the beautiful field their house rested upon. 

“I bring news this time, Robin,” Tink says, telling them she isn’t sure if it’s good news or bad news. Maybe a bit of both. 

Regina looks to Robin apprehensively, then back to Tink, nodding for her to go on. 

The fairy tells them about a rare disease that has swept through the Enchanted Forest, striking most severely in the king’s palace. Snow had been sick for a while but became better within a few weeks. Plans for her marriage to Prince David were still being undertaken. It was going to be a beautiful ceremony, one Regina wished she could go to. She’d hated Snow for so long, but with the help of Robin and time away from the castle, she’d seen that her mother was to blame for Daniel’s death, not the child that Snow was at the time. It’s safer this way, though, so Tink has promised to attend the wedding and come back, supplying all the details Regina could ever wish for. 

“King Leopold wasn’t as lucky, I’m afraid,” their friend tells them, looking somber. 

The blonde raises her head from where she’s been looking at her folded hands. Regina looks at her questioningly before Robin speaks up. “The king… is dead?”

Regina looks to Robin, then Tink, remorseful that anyone should die, but a part of her happy if that’s the case. This man abused her for years, took away all innocence that was left in her. She’d run away, escaped him and found her happiness again with this man sitting beside her, but she could never fully forgive the king for the things he’d said and done to her. 

Tink nods, informing them that the doctors did all they could, but in the end, Leopold was too old, too weak, to fight it off. He’s been dead for two weeks now, and the funeral had already taken place. 

“Snow will be officially coronated as the new queen in three days time,” she tells the couple, smiling softly. She says she knows it’s horrible that someone died, but she can’t help but be happy that Regina is finally free.

“Free? What do you mean?” Regina asks, furrowing her brow. Surely Snow will continue to hunt for her just as her father had done. 

Tink sighs, situating herself against the wooden banister of the porch. “Snow says the search for Queen Regina has gone on long enough. She wants to start her reign as queen with a clean slate. The search for you is officially done.”

Regina smiles, biting her lip as she looks from her friend to her soulmate. She’s finally free. No one is out searching for her. She can easily take their boys into town, can pick up toys for them to play with and buy fruits for their family to eat. Little John no longer needs to run errands for her, she can do them on her own. She has truly been set free.

Just then, squeals of laughter echo through the field. Regina reaches up, wiping a tear from her eye. Their three year old, Henry, comes bounding down the small hill, picking up a stray daisy as he comes toward them. “Tink!” he yells excitedly, scooping another flower up before reaching the three adults on the porch. 

Another set of tiny, chubby legs, belonging to Roland, their one year old, come stomping through the grass with Little John right behind him. He’d just learned to walk a few months ago, but as soon as he did, he was off, stumbling after his older brother as best he could. Henry loves it, being able to play more with Roland now that he doesn’t just crawl and cry. It’s adorable, really, and she’s so happy they’ve been able to create these two precious miracles.

“Mama!” her youngest boy squeals, laughing as the grass tickles his skin. Regina sweeps Roland up, cuddling into his neck, breathing in the natural baby scent he’s yet to lose. He grabs at her long, dark hair with his chubby little fingers, twisting a piece and bringing it to his mouth to chew on. 

As John leans against the porch next to Tink, giving her a small smile, Robin gathers Henry into his arms, swinging him onto his shoulders as the boy laughs in glee. He outstretches the two flowers he’d collected, making sure Tink and his mother each receive one before patting his father’s cheeks happily.

Tink smiles at the scene before her with watery eyes, telling them once again that she’s glad her stolen pixie dust was able to help after all. Soulmates are real, and they are the greatest example of that powerful magic. 

Regina smiles over at Robin, leaning in as best she can with her baby in her arms and Henry’s little leg over Robin’s shoulder, to place a kiss to his lips. 

“I love you,” Robin whispers, bumping his nose against hers and taking her free hand in his, running his thumb across her wedding band. 

She smiles serenely, batting her eyes at him as she listens to Henry ramble on as best he can to Tink about the butterflies he, Roland, and John had played with in the flower field. “I love you, too,” she murmurs, pecking his lips once more. Regina loves her husband, loves her children, loves this life they’ve created over the past four years, and is so thankful she and Robin both found their second chance at a happily ever after with each other. She is finally happy,  _ they  _ are happy, and that’s all any of them ever wanted. 


	5. Cursed OQ: Cursed Happiness

**_Day 5_** ** _:_** **_Cursed happy ending (first curse) - Cursed Happiness_** **  
**  
“That should do it,” Robin says, closing his tool box. She’d had to call him to her office after locking herself out. Her, the mayor, she’d never felt so foolish. “Here’s a spare key as well, Madam Mayor, in case you find yourself locked out again.”

She smiles at him sheepishly, “Thank you, Mr. Lockland.” Regina glances over to her receptionist, making sure she can’t hear her conversation with the town’s locksmith. “And… are we still on for tonight?” 

Robin grins wolfishly, glancing toward the girl at the desk briefly before turning his eyes back to her. His blue orbs make her feel like he’s piercing into her soul each time he looks her way. It’s one of the things that’d attracted her to him all those months ago. No one remembers their old lives, except for her of course, she’d made sure of that when creating this fictitious reality. The queen was the reason they were all here after all. 

This Robin Lockland had once been nothing but a common thief, known as Robin of Locksley, turned Hood, in the Enchanted Forest - the criminal her guards were in pursuit of for months leading up to her casting her dark curse. Things had changed though in this new town. People were different -  _ he _ was different, more than just his last name. She couldn’t place exactly what it was, she’d never interacted with him in their old land but she’d heard stories, and the Robin she knew in Storybrooke was nothing like the thief she’d heard so much about from Sheriff Nottingham, which surprised her. She’d conjured the spell under Rumple’s teachings, not knowing their personalities would stay the same - like Snow White’s sickening optimism or Grumpy’s sarcastic ways. Those were still the same as before, just aspects of their lives were changed - different jobs, families torn apart, missing spouses - all to keep Snow and Charming away from each other. She smiled devilishly to herself thinking once again how miserable the school teacher appeared to be in this world. 

At least the curse had changed enough to keep her precious stepdaughter unhappy. But the similar personalities is what confused her about Robin. Nottingham had told her stories of a mad man, out for revenge, womanizing and stealing from all he came across - a thief through and through. In this land, however, there were stories of Robin Hood that painted a much different picture. She didn’t know what to believe in the beginning until she got to know him. After that, the lying ways of the sheriff had become more than apparent. “I’ll be there,” he whispers, leaning closer to her, fingers skimming down her bicep in a feather light touch, as he makes his exit. 

They’d flirted for months on end, Regina giving him the cold shoulder at first. Surely no one could like someone like her, she’d thought. No one ever cared to get to know the queen. They only heard rumors and made their judgments before even meeting her. She had to remind herself that this wasn’t the Enchanted Forest; people didn’t know her as the murderous evil queen, they only knew her as Mayor Mills. How they perceived her was totally up to her.    
  


_ “Here you are, milady,” the former thief says, setting down a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.  _

_ Regina looks up with a scowl on her face, roaming her eyes around Granny’s Diner. Surely he’s placed this in front of the wrong person. “No, thank you,” she states coldly, sliding the cup away with the back of her hand.  _

_ The man does nothing but laugh, sliding himself into the cushioned booth seat across from her. She huffs, rolling her eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she snarks, looking over his shoulder at his son who sits with a big, burly man making walrus teeth with their straws.  _

_ She turns her gaze back to him, hoping he will have somehow disappeared in the ten seconds she took her eyes off of him. What she wouldn’t give to have her powers in this moment. Life had been challenging that first year, trying to figure out how to do things without her magic, but she's learned over the years how to manage. She quite enjoys it on most days actually; she never wanted her powers in the first place. It had been Rumple and her mother who’d pushed her to learn her craft.  _

_ “Not right now, no,” he says with a smug smirk on his face. His eyes twinkle as they study her. _

_ It’s been six years since she cast the curse, six years since she’d been known as the Evil Queen, but yet people still feared her. Not this man, though, for whatever reason. He seemed to find her aloofness charming, if his continuous flirtatious ways were anything to go by. That confused her more and more each day. No one had ever flirted with her the way this Robin Lockland does except Daniel. There’d been Sidney, of course, and his slimy, love sick ways, and countless guards had attempted to flirt with her, but she never gave them the time of day. The way Robin looked at her made her stomach flip, and she wasn’t sure she liked that feeling. It made her feel out of control, like a silly teenager sneaking away to kiss the stable boy underneath a willow tree.  _

_ She huffs, looking down at her half finished bowl of oatmeal. She clenches her jaw, cutting her eyes back up to his. He’s still there, staring at her as if he’s waiting on her to say more. Regina purses her lips, tilting her chin in the regal way she does and reaches out tentatively for the mug she’d dismissively pushed away moments ago.  _

_ Wrapping her fingers around the handle, she slowly pulls it back toward her. “Thank you,” she grumbles, bringing the cup to her lips. She takes a sip, closing her eyes as the satisfaction of the warm liquid slides down her throat.  _

_ When she opens her eyes, he’s smiling at her with his dimples on full display. His smile seems to hold so much more than a friendly greeting, it’s as if he can read her mind.  _

_ “You’re welcome,” he tells her, chuckling softly to himself.  _

_ She smiles demurely despite her surly attitude. Perhaps she could at least use a friend in this new land. _

She’d finally given in though, finally warming up to his advances. He’d flirted for a while, bringing her coffee or making himself comfortable in her booth like he’d done that first day. She was cold toward him at first, like she is with everyone, but with each hot mug of coffee, the more her heart melted. She’d let him in bit by bit, gaining a great friend in the process. Robin was kind and understanding, always laughing off comments made by people who didn’t understand how he could be friends with the mayor. 

His sweet, dimple-faced little boy sweetened the deal as well. Roland was adorable and brought so much joy to everyone around him. He was the reason she first cracked a smile at Robin so many months ago, and he was actually the reason Robin finally asked her out a year ago, shocking her to the core. 

_ “Roland, you need to finish that hamburger,” Regina giggles, wiping the side of her mouth with a napkin. They’d met for lunch, she, Robin, and Roland, like they’ve done so many times over the last few months.  _

_ She’s let him in, slowly accepting the fact that she could use a friend. And he’s been a great one. They go to lunches together, bringing Roland along when he’s not in school, and take his son for strolls through the park, letting him chase after squirrels and play on the playground. She’s cooked for them a few times, inviting the boys over for lasagna and a movie (with extra buttery popcorn, just the way the youngest Lockland boy always begs for it with his big, brown, puppy dog eyes and dimples showcased on his cheeks).  _

_ It’s nice, having a friend. It’s not something she’s used to. She never had a friend in their old lives, no one other than Daniel and her father ever caring enough about her to get to know her.  _

_ “Okay, Gina,” the boy says, nodding as he pushes the last of his lunch into his mouth. Regina chuckles and shakes her head. Roland is eager to get to the park today, claiming he wants to try and go even higher on the swings than he did last week with his papa.  _

_ Robin laughs from across the booth, looking at her and Roland sitting next to one another. “Regina’s right, my boy,” he tells his son, standing to go get the check from Ruby. “I still have to pay so there’s no rush on finishing your food.” _

_ When he returns to the table, Roland is chatting away to her, telling Regina all about what he did in school this week. She grins and bears it, knowing Snow White is his annoyingly sweet teacher. She’s been teaching the children about birds this week. “And we even got to make our own birdhouses!” Roland shouts excitedly, perking up in the booth.  _

_ Regina smiles, running a hand through his unruly curls.  _

_ Robin takes a sip of his water, then tells her about how Roland’s bird house is apparently the prettiest of all the birdhouses in the whole class, clearly reciting the words his son has already told him after school yesterday.  _

_ She smiles at him before turning her attention back to Roland. This is nice, sitting here with her friend and his little boy. It feels… natural, like how life should’ve always been. She ignores the twist in her gut, the one telling her that she wants this to be more than friendship.  _

_ Roland continues rambling on while Robin signs the receipt, telling them through his giggles how two of his classmates, Max and Rachel, were going around saying they were boyfriend and girlfriend.  _

_ “But it’s so yucky,” Roland exclaims, sticking out his tongue in obvious disdain. She and Robin chuckle under their breath, looking at each other across the table. “Only adults are supposed to have boyfriends and girlfriends,” he tells them, saying Max took Rachel on a date during recess, the two children going under the fort to make sandcastles in the sand pit.  _

_ “That’s right,” Robin says in mock seriousness, “Only big boys and girls can go on dates together.” _

_ She smiles, looking at Roland as he finishes his apple juice. “Yeah,” he says, smacking his lips in pleasure at the juice. “Like you and Regina.” _

_ Her eyes widen, as do Robin’s as they both glance at each other, then back to the little boy.  _

_ “Wh-what do you mean, son?” _

_ Roland giggles, covering his mouth. He pushes his curls off his forehead before sighing, saying, “You should take Regina out on a date, Papa!” _

_ The air grows thick around her, never expecting the topic of them dating to come up from his five year old son. She tears her eyes from Roland’s, turning her gaze back to Robin.  _

_ “Uh,” she stammers, breathing out deeply. She giggles awkwardly, not knowing what to say. _

_ Robin, for his part, still seems to be stunned by what his son has just said. His eyes are glossed over as he stares at her. The moment of tension doesn’t last as long as it seems in her head, only a few beats of breath before Robin blinks, chuckling at Roland’s statement.  _

_ “Well,” he breathes coolly, looking in her direction. “It’s not a bad idea.” _

_ Her brow scrunches, looking at him in confusion. She’s attracted to him, she knows that, but she didn’t think he was attracted to her. Sure, he’s flirted with her these last few months, bringing her coffee and taking her to lunch, but she never thought it was anything serious. No one would want to date her. “What?” _

_ Robin smiles at her, biting down on his bottom lip. “I would love to take you on a date, Regina,” he tells her. “I’ve been wanting to ask for quite some time, actually.” _

_ “Oh,” she breathes, not believing what she’s hearing. “Okay.” _

_ Roland squeals, clapping his hands together. Both adults laugh, breaking their moment. They make plans to go out the next night, Robin claiming he can get his friend John to watch Roland for them. _

That’d been a year ago, twelve wonderful months that she’s been seeing Robin. They haven’t made any grand public announcements of the mayor and her new beau, but Regina likes it that way. She likes keeping Robin and Roland to herself for just a little bit longer. They make her happy, and in her experience, once others know about that happiness, they’ll do anything to take it away. 

{*********************}

Opening her front door, she smiles at Robin. “Glad you could make it.”

He smiles back, walking in and removing his jacket. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he tells her smoothly, leaning in to kiss her lips before hanging his jacket up in her entry closet. 

They make their way into the living room, cuddling together on the couch. She tells him dinner will be ready soon, and he brings her closer to his body, running his nose along the length of hers. “Good,” he whispers into the top of her head, “Gives me plenty of time to kiss my girlfriend.”

She giggles quietly, coming out as a breathy thing, and leans up to look into his eyes. She loves this man so much, and it terrifies her. She remembers so vividly what happens to people she loves. It’s the reason she’d been so hesitant to tell him of her feelings a few months ago. Robin leans his head down, pulling her from her thoughts as he places his lips to hers. 

She parts her lips, letting his tongue inside. Sighing, she deepens the kiss, moving closer to his body. Her legs are thrown over his already, so she twists her torso, pressing her chest against his. He moans, roaming his hand through her hair and down her back.

Pulling apart, she grins, biting her lip to contain it. “I love you,” Regina tells him, returning the gesture from earlier and bumping her nose to his. 

“I love you, too, darling,” he vows, pulling back more to see her. His hand comes to rest on her knees that are still draped in his lap. “Which is why I think it’s silly that we don’t tell the town we are together.”

She sighs, closing her eyes. He’s brought this up before over the last few months. He understood in the beginning - she’s the mayor and she wanted to keep her private life away from the prying eyes and ears of everyone in the town. They’ve gotten very serious, though, and it’s harder to keep them a secret. “Everyone knows anyway,” Robin chuckles, tapping his hand that rests on the back of the couch.  

She rolls her eyes, “Most people do, I’m sure,” she concedes solemnly, admitting, “I’m just nervous.” 

He tilts his head, asking what she’s nervous about. Sighing, she tells him how everyone in this town views her as this bitchy, cold woman, and she’s afraid of what they’ll say about him when it becomes official town gossip that he’s dating the mayor. She closes her eyes, sighing, as she thinks back to a few weeks ago when someone tried to bring up Robin in her presence.

_ “Everyone watch out,” Grumpy, known as Leroy in this land, says gruffly. He makes a mockingly wide berth as Regina makes her way to the counter at Granny’s, trying to collect her morning coffee before heading into work, throwing his arms up in the air as if to block others from her wrath. “Wouldn’t want to get in the hardass’ way.” _

_ She can feel all eyes on her, the whole restaurant gone completely silent by now. The heat rises in her skin as Leroy continues to make comments toward her. She whirls around, hand ready to unfurl a fireball. She lowers her hand as quickly as it came up, remembering begrudgingly that magic doesn’t exist in this land - a fact far harder to remember when she’s angry.   _

_ Leroy’s eyes bulge as the mayor spins in his direction. Her lip curls, tucking her hand into the pocket of her coat. His look of terror fades quickly, though, curling his lip to match hers as he drunkenly sways on his feet.  _

_ He looks her up and down bitterly, moving closer to where she stands. “I don’t know why that Lockland fella even spends time with you. You’re poisonous. Probably plotting how to destroy his life and take his kid from him,” the man laughs, looking around for confirmation.  _

_ She cuts her eyes around the room as well, seeing that half the people are looking at their plates, trying their best not to watch the scene unfold, while the rest are frozen to the spot, staring with wide eyes at what Leroy is doing.  _

_ “Well,” Regina says icily, sauntering toward the dwarf and boring her eyes into his, “as the town drunk, I’m positive you’re not sure much of anything these days,” decisively putting him in his place. His eyes widen as he looks around in embarrassment.  _

_ She smirks, notching her head to one side before righting it again. She looks to Ruby behind the counter, gives her a smile of thanks and takes her coffee, exiting the diner coolly. She leaves a trail of fear behind her, just the way she likes. Little scenes of insubordination like that will show the whole town that she’s in charge and not to be messed with. It’s her defense mechanism really, fear. It’s quite an effective tool. If people can’t love her, then they can at least respect her. _

“So change how they see you,” Robin urges earnestly, pulling her from her thoughts. He’s always telling Regina he wishes people could see her the way he sees her, the way she  _ lets  _ him see her. 

She’s let her walls down with him, this man who has captured her heart and soul, the one with the lion tattoo. She’d seen his inked forearm for the first time a week after he’d said  _ I love you,  _ five months into their relationship. He’d rolled up his sleeve while sitting by the fire that night at his house, offering her a glass of whiskey to enjoy. It shocked her. She blames the never ending winter months here in Maine and the long sleeves it requires for never having seen it before, and the fact that before he’d uttered the words of his true feelings, she’d never seen him naked. She didn’t want to give her body to him until she knew he felt the same way she did, no matter how soon it may have been.

_ “The lady looks thirsty,” he croons, reaching over and handing her a glass.  _

_ She smiles, batting her eyes in his direction. She goes to speak, taking a deep breath before something on his arm catches her attention. Looking down, she sees the black crest with a lion inside, the tattoo that had haunted her dreams for so many years. She always wondered where that man had gone, what had happened to him after she refused to go inside the tavern, fear gripping her too tightly that night. Her eyes are focused on the ink, eyebrows creasing together in confusion. _

_ “Regina?” he asks, his brow furrowing in concern. “What is it?” _

_ “Uh,” she stammers, fighting every urge inside of her to run away. “N-nothing.” _

_ She tries to smile at him, tearing her eyes away from the tattoo and taking the glass from his hand. “I just never noticed your tattoo before.” She takes a large sip, almost finishing the whole thing in one gulp. _

_ Robin chuckles, running a hand over the ink. “This thing,” he says, “I forget it’s there sometimes. I’ve had it for so long.” He goes on, telling her a made up story provided by his false memories of how he’d gotten the tattoo as a teenager, just starting college. It was his family’s crest and he’d gotten in one night in a bout of homesickness with a group of his friends.  _

_ She smiles, glad that the curse gave him nice memories, no matter how fake they are. She won’t dare ask about his college days or the friends he had in fear that the curse might not provide him with an answer. She’d hate for him to start questioning his life. It’s the one thing she feels guilty over - these fake memories she’s provided him. He might’ve had a good life as a thief in the Enchanted Forest, the Robin Hood she’s read about did anyway, but she isn’t quite sure. She knows if they ever all wake up, he’ll never forgive her, or she fears he won’t at least. So, she’ll put on a smile, and pretend his stories of his college days and growing up in England before moving here don’t hurt her heart a little bit each time. _

_ He stops mid-sentence, tucking his head down to capture her eyes. She’d been staring at his tattoo again with watery eyes, thinking of how much time she’s wasted. She could’ve been with him years ago. “Hey,” he says, drawing her attention back to his face. “You okay?” _

_ She chuckles breathlessly, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. She takes another sip of her drink, quirking her eyebrows up as she nods. “Mm,” she hums, blinking her tears away, “I just like hearing you talk.” _

_ He chuckles, leaning over to kiss her. He picks up a strawberry from the food they have placed between them, holding it up to her lips. Regina smiles, rolling her eyes but leaning in nonetheless and taking a bite. She moans softly, licking her lips. “That’s good.” _

_ Robin pulls the same strawberry to his lips, finishing it and agreeing. He picks up another one, biting it completely while she scans over the snacks he’s provided for them tonight. She selects a blueberry, popping it into her mouth and staring into the flames in the fireplace. She misses that heat, always feeling comforted by flames. It was her best trick, always using her fire to put people in their place.  _

_ She sighs, turning her eyes to look at him. He’s finishing his drink as she tilts her head, smiling in his direction and telling him, “I love you.” He’d told her a few days ago of his feelings for the first time, and though hesitant, she’d quickly told him she felt the same way. She’d had to remind herself every day since then that her mother is no longer alive and certainly not in this realm. She can’t come back and ruin this happiness like she did with Daniel no matter what. That thought brings her comfort each time the fear creeps inside.  _

_ “I love you, too,” Robin whispers, placing another kiss to her lips. _

Regina shakes her head. She’s completely herself in Robin’s presence, more like the girl who loved a stable boy than a tyrannical queen that made people fear her. This is the closest she’s felt to the old Regina in a very long time. She’s finally let love in again, just like that fairy had told her to do so long ago, and it is wonderful. She often asks herself why she didn’t go into that tavern so many years ago. Maybe then she wouldn’t have spent so much time wallowing in self-loathing. She so wishes she’d chosen him over, well, evil.  

“But what will Roland think?” she asks, looking into his eyes worriedly. She loves his son; he’s filled the void that Owen had created so many years ago. She loves spending time with him, loves how carefree she is with Roland. He makes her laugh, just like his father, and she can’t remember the last time she truly laughed before these dimpled face boys came into her life. 

She’s nervous, though, nervous of what he’ll think if she goes from being someone they just eat at Granny’s and play with, to someone who is actively involved in his life on a more personal level, more day to day. 

“Considering he pushed me to ask you out,” Robin says with a chuckle, “I think he’ll be okay.”

She laughs, leaning into kiss his lips. He’s right. Roland asked for this, but there’s still a fear gripping her heart. “There it is,” he says, moving closer to her. He runs his hand through her hair, tangling his fingers at the base of her beck. “There’s that elusive yet satisfying smile I think about every time I close my eyes.”

Robin pulls her close, returning her kiss, deepening this one before pulling back. He looks into her eyes, always so understanding of her emotions even without her having to say anything. He reassures her that Roland will be thrilled. She’s already such a huge part of his life. “My son loves you, Regina,” he vows. “He already asks to see you each morning that we don’t eat with you at the diner, so I’m positive he’ll be excited to spend even more time with you.” 

She sighs, smiling at his confession. He’s eased her fears as much as she’s loathe to admit it. He has that way with her though. “I love you,” she whispers as he moves closer, pushing her hair off of her forehead. 

“And I love you,” he says, bumping his nose against hers. “Now, let’s eat.” 

She chuckles, stepping back and taking his hand as she leads them into the kitchen. 

They have dinner, discussing ways of revealing their relationship to the public. She tells him she doesn’t want some big ordeal, it secretly reminding her far too much of the ceremony held by King Leopold to announce her as his future wife when she was so young. 

Robin agrees, saying they can just start showing up together in more places. “People who haven’t figured it out already at least know we’re friends,” he tells her, taking his last bite of the enchilada she’d prepared for them. “I’ll start holding your hand at Granny’s, placing little kisses to your cheeks, things like that.”

She huffs, giggling all the while. She isn’t comfortable with public displays of affection, but, “hand holding we can start with.”

He laughs, nodding his head and conceding with an  _ alright, love _ . He stands, taking both their plates to the sink. He begins rinsing them off as she walks up behind him. Regina wraps her arms around his waist, placing a kiss to his shoulder blade. She loves being with him, she’s so comfortable, and try as she might, she can’t help but be plagued with nightmares of Snow White’s daughter somehow finding her way to Storybrooke. She checks the town’s cloaking spell weekly now, reassuring herself that no one can get in or get out of this reality she’s created.

“Thank you,” she murmurs into his back, burying her nose into the fabric of his shirt as she inhales his mountain spring scented laundry detergent, the one that always reminds her of a forest. He shuts off the water and dries his hand on a towel, turning in her arms to look at her. 

He loops his arms over her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her hairline. “For what, darling?”

She steps back, taking his hand as his arms drop from around her shoulders. She smiles, saying she’s just glad he understands her. He’s not pushing her to make some big announcement, just letting her do this on her own time.

“I don’t care how we tell the town, Regina,” he declares, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t care if everyone or no one knows. I just care about being with you.”

She looks up at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “I know,” she whispers, “and that’s why I love you.”

Robin smiles down at her, running his free hand down her jaw. She tugs on the hand she still holds, pulling him out of the kitchen. “Come on,” she purrs seductively, swaying her hips as she walks them toward the staircase. “We have the whole night to ourselves.”

He pulls on her hand, stopping her ascent up the stairs. Pushing her up against the wall, his lips crash onto hers. She moans, running her hands through his hair. He pushes her shirt up, untucking it from her black pencil skirt. She reaches down, pulling his shirt over his head, revealing his toned stomach. 

Regina runs a hand down his stomach, undoing his belt and tossing it down the stairs. Robin grins, groaning as he undoes the last button of her blouse. He leans down, pressing a kiss to her chest, running his tongue along the top of her bra. 

Biting down on her lip to suppress a moan, she tugs on his hair, pulling him up to kiss her lips again. 

“Let’s make it count, then,” he tells her, breaking their kiss and taking her hand. He leads her to her bedroom, ravishing her all the way there.

{*********************}

“Morning, Gina!” Roland says happily the next morning, walking into her house. 

She smiles at the boy, then to John as Robin pats his friend on the back, thanking him for watching the lad last night. 

“Not a problem,” John says, smiling at the both of them. He’s the only one to definitively know about their relationship, since he’s become their go to babysitter, but he’s trustworthy. He’s known since the very first date and has yet to say anything to anyone. “Anytime, just let me know. You know I love keeping the boy.”

They thank him again, sending him on his way with a to-go coffee and a promise from Robin to call him later.

They walk into the kitchen, hand in hand, to meet up with Roland. He’s skipped inside while the adults talked, and he’s made himself at home on the barstool that rests against the kitchen island.

“How about I make us some french toast?” Regina offers nervously. They’d decided last night to tell Roland officially about their relationship, and though Robin has assured her over and over again that his son will be happy for them, she can’t help the fear that creeps inside. 

“Yeah!” Roland exclaims, pumping his tiny fist in the air. 

She giggles, pulling out the ingredients and setting to work. 

They chat happily, Roland telling them about his slumber party with John and all the movies they watched and food they ate. 

Robin smiles happily down at his son, while she continues preparing their meal. 

Once the food has been dished out, Regina grabs a carton of fruit, claiming they need something healthy to go with their sugary toast, and makes her way to join them at the table. 

“Roland,” Robin says seriously, looking between her and his son. “Regina and I have something to tell you.” 

The little boy looks up, a dribble of syrup still on the corner of his mouth as he finishes his bite. She giggles, reaching for her napkin to wipe the stickiness away from his skin. 

He grins sheepishly at her, thanking her before stabbing another piece with his fork. “What is it, Papa?” Roland asks before putting said piece into his mouth. 

Regina glances over to Robin, nodding and taking a deep breath. She knows Robin isn’t nervous, which helps this whole situation not be as tense as it would be if it were just her. 

“Well,” Robin starts, reaching over to rub his finger over his son’s hand, garnering his attention away from his breakfast. “Regina and I are dating.” 

Roland swallows, looking between his father and Regina. He smiles, nodding his head. “Yeah,” he shrugs, as if this news was nothing new to him, “that’s why you take her on dates.” 

Regina pinches her eyebrow before scoffing out a laugh. She’s been so worried about telling him, thinking he believed his play dates and occasional slumber parties with John were just for fun, yet he appears to have known this whole time. 

“You’re okay with that?” she asks him tentatively. “With me and your papa being boyfriend and girlfriend?” 

Roland giggles at the mention of the words boyfriend and girlfriend and covers his mouth, nodding, making both adults smile. 

She sighs, relieved, looking up in Robin’s direction. He catches her gaze, reaching over to take her hand and give it a light, reassuring squeeze. She loves Robin, knows he’s her soulmate without a doubt. That’s what the pixie dust had told her so long ago. She’d been scared at first, seeing his tattoo half a year ago. She feared that his love wasn’t genuine, nor hers, thought that they’d lost their free will to choose who they loved all because of some magical dust. Regina realized quickly though that she was in love with him before she saw his tattoo that night by the fireplace. 

“Are you going to get married?” Roland asks suddenly, sitting up on his knees and bouncing.

Robin and Regina both laugh, separating their hands to cover their mouths. She smiles at Robin, then over the Roland, patting his cheek gently. 

Robin huffs good naturedly, smiling at his son. “Uh,” he stumbles, “N-not quite yet, my boy.” 

Roland sets his fork down, wiping his hands on his napkin before looking between both adults. “But do you love each other?” the little boy asks in the most serious of tones, as if he’s interrogating them under a spotlight. 

“I love Regina very much,” Robin says, looking over in her direction to make eye contact with her. She smiles sweetly, closing her eyes for the briefest of seconds. 

Opening them, she vows to both boys at her kitchen table, “And I love him, Roland.”

Regina looks over to the curly-haired little boy, pulling him into her lap as he giggles. “And I love you, too!”

Roland squeals in laughter, wrapping his arms around her neck. He turns his little body, pressing the softest of kisses to her cheek, whispering  _ and I love you too, Gina _ . Her heart swells at that, tears threatening to fall. Looking over to Robin, she sees he looks much the same. He smiles brightly at her, his dimples on full display as he looks between her and Roland.

“And people in love always get married!” Roland explains, saying, “That’s what Ms. Blanchard says anyway.” Regina rolls her eyes at the mention of Snow, shaking her head imperceptibly and making a mental note to have a strong word with the teacher at what she’s teaching her students. 

Robin laughs, explaining to the young boy that most of the time people in love get married, but not always, and it was still very early into his and Regina’s love to make that kind of decision, it’s only been a year after all. If it ever got to that point, which she suddenly hopes it will, Robin promises that Roland will be the first to know. “How does that sound, my boy?”

“Yeah!” Roland giggles, hopping off of Regina’s lap, running into the living room. She and Robin stand then, collecting dirty plates and cups to carry into the kitchen. 

As they finish cleaning up breakfast and make their way into the living room to join Roland for a lazy morning of watching cartoons, she can’t help but smile to herself. Looking over at Robin, her heart is filled with so much emotion. She loves this man, loves this life, and she hopes her curse is never broken by the Charming’s long lost daughter in fear of losing this happiness once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> {******************}  
> I have a few ideas of how to continue this… just maybe another chapter or two to get Emma there/the curse broken and see how Robin reacts and handles everything. Would anyone be interested in that? If not, I’ll just leave it at this lol


	6. AU: Designing Love Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For AU Happy Ending, I decided to go ahead and post my Designing Love epilogue. If you haven’t read Designing Love, some of this might not make sense, but you can still definitely read it! For those of you that have read Designing Love, thank you again for all your support through me writing my first multi-chapter fic. Like always, please leave a review and let me know what you think! :)

**Day 6** **:** **AU Happy Ending - Designing Love Epilogue**

Pregnant.

The word keeps flashing through her mind ever since she took a test earlier today. Regina is feeling a cacophony of emotions - excited, terrified, worried, emotional. She and Robin have been married for two years now, it’s not like this is an ill-timed pregnancy. Things are great - work on Mayor Heller’s mansion had gone over swimmingly. He’d loved her redesign of his residence so much that he’s hired her to redo his summer home. She’ll be starting that project in the next few weeks, as soon as she finishes the King’s summer house.

How nice it must be to own a summer home. They could afford it, they really could, what with Robin’s business going so well with his multi-million dollar deals and Storybook Décor gaining such a large clientele over the last two years. But it seems a bit pretentious to her. Maybe once the kids are grown and moved out… in another eighteen years, she thinks, daydreaming of that pregnancy test again. 

Tears well in her eyes. A baby. Her and Robin made a baby all on their own. She loves Roland as if he were hers, forgets sometimes that he  _ isn’t _ hers by blood, but it’s exciting to think of a baby with her and her husband’s genes mixed together. What will he or she look like? She imagines dark, raven hair like her but crystal blue eyes like Robin. God, she loves those eyes. She hopes any child they make, this one or any of the others she’s suddenly planning to have over the next few years, come out with his eyes… and dimples. 

He always claims he could look into her eyes for an eternity, just like he’d told her while proposing when he said,  _ “You are so gorgeous, my love. I love looking into your eyes; I was born to gaze into them, I’m convinced.” _

She’d giggled at him at the time, but when she thinks about it, he isn’t half crazy. A life where she gets to look at him forever is a pretty good one to her. She could stare at him for an eternity.

Thinking of her proposal, she remembers how he’d asked her to, “ _ make me the happiest man on this Earth and marry me,”  _ and she can’t help but smile as she sits in her kitchen chair, hand rubbing her still flat stomach that this news might just make him the happiest she’s ever seen him. 

Standing, she walks to the stove, pulling the kettle from the burner as it whistles it’s completion. Steeping her tea bag in her favorite mug (the one that has two handprints on it, one for Henry and the other, Roland, and the words “ _ WORLD’S GREATEST MOM!”  _ inscribed upon it), she thinks of ways to tell Robin her joyous news. 

Does she do some big, grand gesture? Or does she just hand him the test wrapped in a little bow? Should the boys be there? She shakes her head at herself, walking toward the living room to cuddle up on the couch. She wants to do this just the two of them before they tell their sons. 

Pulling the blanket up over her legs and placing her laptop on her thighs, she clicks on the television. The house is quiet today, too quiet with Robin at work and her sons over at Emma’s. Her best friend and Neal had gotten married a year ago, and just welcomed a little baby girl six months ago. The boys, who she thought at first wouldn’t find any enjoyment in spending time with a newborn, have actually surprised her. Henry and Roland love playing with Elizabeth and often ask to go visit. 

Today had worked out with Robin needing to go into the office (even though it’s Sunday) and Regina needing to catch up on some digital designs, so off the boys went to Emma’s house. Neal had picked them up earlier with a trio of  _ wahoo!’s _ echoed throughout their apartment. 

Giggling at the memory, she picks up her phone to text Emma, wanting to check in on her sons. The blonde assures them they’re fine, sending her an adorable picture of Roland holding the baby as Henry reaches for Elizabeth’s chubby little hand, so Regina sits back, sipping her tea and drawing inspiration from the Property Brother’s episode that is playing in the background. 

She opens her laptop, sending Tink an email to check in on the their former nanny’s progress in her first solo project. Tink had graduated from design school a few months after Regina and Henry moved in to Robin’s place. Since then, the girl has interned with Regina, and when the internship was up, Regina just couldn’t let her go. She’s been working at Storybook Décor for a little over two years now, and has proven to be a worthy asset. 

She and Tink send a few messages back and forth, confirming wall colors and decoration she’d found at a flea market. After a while, she clicks over to the King’s summer home, finalizing the last few touches with Mary Margaret.

Regina had sworn up and down during her first go round with the Kings that she would never,  _ ever _ work with them again, but a year later, Mr. King had informed her that they were renovating their summer home like he’d told her after she redid their regular mansion and would be needing her design assistance in the near future. This project has taken far longer than their first house, rounding in on about ten months at this point, but she’s almost done. Mr. and Mrs. King haven’t been  _ as _ insufferable this time, which she’s been very thankful for. 

Pulling herself from her thoughts about work, she opens up a new tab on her browser and opens up Pinterest. She’s clueless as to how to tell Robin about the baby, so surely someone on this website has a cute idea. 

After scrolling for a few minutes, her face lights up. Perfect, she thinks. She orders what she needs and closes her laptop, deciding she needs a shower before all the boys get home. 

{******************}

Thank God for next day delivery, Regina thinks to herself, as she places the box on her counter. Last night had been torture not telling Robin about the baby. He’d noticed her odd behavior, she has no doubt about that. He kept asking if she was alright, if she needed anything, if she felt okay… to which Regina just smiled, promising him she was fine. She just had, “a lot of work to think about.” 

Robin, like always, had been understanding, offering to give her a shoulder rub while she got some work done on the laptop in bed that night. She’d willingly accepted. 

Pulling the surprise out now, though, the tears spring to her eyes again. A baby. She can’t believe she’s going to have another baby. Henry’s pregnancy had been so easy, she was only sick for the first month. Her ankles were swollen near the end, but all in all, it had been a breeze. She’s heard horror stories of how each pregnancy can affect a woman differently, so she’s anxious to see how this one plays out. 

She wraps the gift up, placing it on the top shelf of the hall closet. She’d hate for Roland to find it and open it, effectively ruining the surprise for everyone. He’s only eight (almost nine, as he likes to point out every chance he gets), so she’ll cut him some slack.

She’d dropped Roland and Henry off at her parent’s house a few hours ago for a fun filled evening of horseback riding with her father and dinner at the country club and came home to clean the apartment. 

After cleaning the living room, she began pulling out ingredients for dinner. Tacos. Their go to dinner for special occasions now. It’s simple, and not fancy by any means, but they hold a special meaning to them and their relationship. 

As she’s turning off the oven’s burner where she’s been browning the meat, the front door opens. Looking to her right, she sees Robin walking in, hanging his briefcase on the hook by the door and slipping off his jacket. 

“Hey, love,” he says with a tired smile, making his way over to where she stands, one hip leaning into the kitchen island. He bends down, placing a kiss to her lips. 

She lets it linger, longer than he was planning if his surprised moan is anything to go by. Pulling apart, she smiles brightly up at him. “How was your day?”

He’d had to work later than usual, calling earlier to let her know he’d be home around eight instead of his usual six. That worked out for her though, having worked until five herself, then rushing to get the boys to her parents’ house after they came home from school. 

Robin walks to the refrigerator, pulling out the Brita and filling two glasses of water. He tells her work was fine, talks about the  _ Sleep Tight: Baby Shampoo _ project  he’s been handling lately (the baby body wash campaign he’d done for them their first year together had been such a success, the company couldn’t think of anyone better to handle the new  _ Sleep Tight _ product) and tells her his newest employee, Mulan, has been a great help. “She’s been a huge asset to this project, and seems to fit in with the guys just fine.”

Regina smiles, glad he was able to find someone who fit in. He’d hired a man named Greg after Tuck went to seminary, but the man had been terrible at his job, and couldn’t make it at Locksley Advertising. Robin had fired him a month into his employment. 

He takes the waters he’s poured over to the table before walking back over to Regina, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leans her head back onto his shoulder and sighs, imagining in a few months how her belly will be rounded and he might not be able to wrap his hands all the way around her. She giggles to herself at the mental image, excited already to get there. 

“What’s so funny?” he asks, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. 

She giggles again, assuring him it’s nothing. Regina moves out of his embrace, bending down to pull the taco shells out of the oven where she’s placed them to stay warm. “Do you want the hard or soft shell tonight?”

He hums, going to pull plates out of the cabinet. “I might do one of each to start.”

Rolling her eyes at his never ending appetite, a trait both Rolan and Henry seemed to have picked up lately, she takes the offered plate from his hands, giving him a grateful smile. 

After fixing their plates, they move to the table, sitting across from each other. They eat, and talk, and relax, commenting on how weird it is to have the boys out of the house two days in a row. They’d eaten dinner at Neal and Emma’s last night before being delivered back to them, so they’ve had both evenings just to themselves, a rare luxury in the lives of busy parents, especially with Regina’s mother offering to keep the boys over night and drop them off at school in the morning. Regina smiles to herself, thinking how they won’t have one of these for a while once the baby comes, but she couldn’t be happier about that. 

Her feet end up in his lap when she finishes eating as Robin rubs them lightly, digging in when he reaches the arch of her foot, knowing those always hurt more than any other part. 

“Mmm,” she moans, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. “That feels amazing.”

He smiles, placing her feet back on the ground and standing, taking their plates. “Why don’t you move to the couch while I clean up, my love, and then I’ll give you a proper rub down?”

She grins at his wagging eyebrows but doesn’t protest. Regina stands, placing a kiss to his cheek and a pat to his rear as he walks away. He chuckles out a  _ minx _ as he makes his way to the kitchen.

While he’s rinsing off and loading their dishes into the washer, she scurries to the hall closet to grab her surprise. 

She places it on the coffee table before snuggling onto the couch to wait for him. He’s talking to her about their weekend plans, how Neal wants all of them to go to his lake house on Saturday just to get away and let the baby experience it for the first time, but as soon as Robin utters the word  _ baby _ , her mind is gone, imagining once again what their baby will look like. Will she have dark hair or blonde? Brown eyes? Blue? Whatever she has, she’ll be beautiful. Or he. It could be a boy, but Regina just has a feeling, maybe just wishful thinking, that this one will be a girl. 

“Where’d you go?” Robin chuckles, picking up her legs to sit, placing them back down in his lap. His hand begins to rub lightly up and down her calves, giving the balls of her feet a nice squeeze each time. 

She laughs out a, “Sorry. In my own world, I guess,” before sitting up and reaching for the present. 

Robin’s eyebrows crinkle as he shakes his head gently, asking, “What’s this?”

Regina sits criss cross on the couch, making sure to face him completely as she hands it over. “Just a little something I saw that I wanted you to have.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“No reason,” she laughs with a shrug to her shoulders, leaning over the press a peck to his lips. 

He smiles at her, telling her she didn’t have to get him anything, especially for no reason at all. She just shrugs again, urging him to open it. 

As he’s peeling the paper away, Regina wrings her hands together, suddenly nervous of his reaction. She knows he wants a baby, has no doubt about that, but is this the way she should tell him? Maybe she should’ve just given him the pregnancy test yesterday after taking it like most people do. “I need to tell you something, so I bought this to help me.”

He’s tosses the paper into her lap with a smirk and is lifting the lid of the box, but tilts his head up to look at her, confusion coloring his features. “What do you mean?”

“Just open it, babe!” she giggles when she sees he’s stopped his ministrations on the present. 

He chuckles, turning his attention to the box. He places the lid onto the coffee table before peering down inside.

Silence. It engulfs them for a second, and Regina feels as if all the air has left her lungs. He’s staring at his gift, eyes wide but brows furrowed. He looks up at her, eyes glistening, then looks back down into the box. 

“Regina,” he whispers. “Truly?”

He pulls out the pregnancy test first (which she cleaned thoroughly beforehand), staring at it in disbelief. He covers his mouth with one hand, still holding the test close to his face with the other, the little plus sign staring at him dead on. He looks at her again, eyes still as wide, then looks down in the box. He places the pregnancy test on his knee while he pulls out the onesie she’d ordered. It’s a little light gray one with the words “Let the Adventure Begin” written on it in white, a small arrow underlining the word  _ adventure _ . It was too cute to pass up when she saw it yesterday online, knowing this is definitely going to be a new adventure for their family. They’ve never raised a baby together - three AM feedings, diaper changes, crying and teething… she can’t wait. 

“You’re pregnant?” he asks incredulously, still looking at her in disbelief. His eyes drift down to her stomach as if he can see the baby through the layers of clothes and skin. When he looks back up to her for confirmation, his eyes are wet, a single tear threatening to fall down his cheek.

She giggles wetly, nodding her head and swallowing around the lump in her throat. “Yes,” she breathes shakily, “We’re having a baby, Robin.”

He lets out a deep breath, moving the contents of his present to the table so he can wrap Regina in his arms. “Oh my god,” he cries, that tear finally falling. 

She reaches up, wiping the tears from his cheeks and pressing her lips to his. They pull apart, smiling widely at each other. “We’re having a baby,” he whispers reverently into the space between them. 

Robin pulls her into his lap, her legs dangling off one side as her arms wrap around his shoulders. He buries his nose into her neck, breathing her in and whispering  _ I love you _ over and over again. 

He sits back, looking into her eyes, and reaches up to wipe the wetness from under her eyes. “I love you too,” she tells him, bumping her nose to his. 

“So what’s next?” he asks excitedly, pulling her close to him as he settles back onto the couch. “Do we go to the doctor? We need to buy clothes, and diapers, and bottles, and…”

She laughs at his questions, at his excitement, promising all of that will come. “It’s still really early, honey, but yes, I need to make a doctor’s appointment first.”

He nods, telling her to let him know when it is so, “I can take off work. I want to be there, at every single appointment, so I can get a glimpse of this little guy every chance I get.” His hand finds its way to her stomach, giving her a gentle rub. 

“Little guy, huh?” she asks, turning her head to look at him with a raised brow. “What if it’s a girl?”

He chuckles, placing a kiss to her shoulder. “Then she’ll be the most beautiful baby girl to ever be born… and the most protected with all these boys around her.”

They laugh together, imagining how protective Henry and Roland would be of their baby sister (if Elizabeth is any indication), along with Robin looking out for her. 

“She’ll never date with all of you surrounding her,” she laughs, running a hand through Robin’s hair. 

“She won’t need to date!” he declares indignantly, “She’ll have me, and Henry, and Roland to keep her company.”

She tilts her head back in laughter, saying they’ll cross that bridge when they get there. She scoots off his lap, cuddling into his side as they both prop their feet up onto the wooden coffee table. “First things first, we have to wait a few more weeks to even see if it’s a boy or a girl.”

Robin sighs, whispering an  _ it’s going to be a girl, I can just feel it _ , which makes her smile, glad to see she convinced him so easily that their baby would be a girl. She’ll be overjoyed and will love another baby boy, no doubt, but it’d be nice to have some more estrogen in this apartment, too.

“Boy or girl, it’s going to be amazing,” Robin says, resting his head atop hers. They sit in silence for a beat, his hand never leaving her abdomen.

She laces their fingers together over her belly, talking quietly with one another about how her stomach will grow over the next few months. They discuss what color hair and eyes they think it’ll have, agreeing that no matter what, it’ll be beautiful. 

“The boys are going to be so excited!” Robin says suddenly, breaking their bubble of silence. “Roland’s been asking about a baby ever since we came home from the cruise!”

Regina laughs, agreeing that both boys will be very excited. “They might not be  _ as _ excited when the baby wakes them up at four AM crying, but they’ll love her just the same.”

There’d been lots of babies surrounding them two years ago, half a year before their wedding, on their family cruise, and Roland has been insistent ever since that they needed a baby in this house. After Emma gave birth, he’s been asking more and more about when  _ their baby was going to get there _ , leading Regina to tell Robin that it might be time to explain where babies come from to him.

He laughs, pulling her closer and pressing another kiss to her lips. “The boys will love this baby,” he says, rubbing her stomach again, “no matter what it is.”

She hums in agreement, telling him she wants to wait a little bit longer before they tell the boys, to which her agrees. Smiling up at him, Regina pats Robin’s chest softly and presses a gentle kiss to his lips before sitting up. She stands, holding out her hand for his, and he takes it, standing and wrapping his arms around her waist. Regina smiles, leaning in to kiss his lips fully. They stand there, enjoying the freedom that comes with not having any little boys’  _ ewwww’s _ echoing throughout the apartment at their displays of affection. 

She deepens the kiss, letting her tongue trail along the line of his lips until he opens, granting her access. Her hands intertwine into the hair at the nape of his neck, while one of his hands holds her waist and the other pushes her hair back before cradling her neck. He moans, opening his mouth wider. They stand there, hands roaming and mouths connecting until the need to breathe is too strong. They break apart, both smiling ear to ear. 

“Robin,” she says seductively, stepping back and taking his hand. “Take me to bed.”

He smiles cheekily, lacing their fingers together and pulling her down the hallway in the direction of their bedroom with a  _ gladly, darling,  _ falling from his lips. He turns the lights in the living room off, save for the lamp that’s on a timer, ensuring they won’t need to leave their room the rest of the night to come clean up or turn anything off. 

She giggles, grabbing him to her halfway down the hall and kissing him soundly. He walks them back so her back presses against the wall, kissing and sucking her neck. “I love you,” she breathes out, letting her hand roam down his back. 

“And I, you,” he vows, stepping back a touch and running his nose along the length of hers before picking her up and carrying her back to the comfort of their bed. 

She never thought three years ago when she agreed to move in with Robin that life would take such a drastic, yet wonderful, turn. Engaged, married and pregnant all within the span of almost four years. It hasn’t seemed too quick to her, though, they’ve just been living life. That’s the thing with soulmates - it’s all about the timing. You don’t need a lot of time to figure life out, you just live it… together.

{********************}

_ If you missed Robin’s proposal that I referenced at the beginning of this story, it can be found in my first chapter of “Designing Our Future”. Remember, DOF is by prompts only so if you would like to see more of Robin and Regina in the Designing Love verse, DM me prompts on here or twitter and I’ll add them to the list! Thanks again for your support :) _


	7. Wild Card #2: Drawn to Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this Wild Card, I decided to write a follow up piece to my story from Prompt Party called “Drawn to You”. Again, like my other sequels, if you haven’t read Drawn to You, this will still make sense lol. Enjoy part 2!

**_Day 7_ ** **_: Wild Card #2 - Drawn to Love_ **

“Regina, where are we going?” Robin asks, looking over at his girlfriend as she drives them down the street. 

They’ve been together for six months now, ever since he caught her staring at him in the art gallery. He’d laughed then, learning she was an artist, and the creator of his favorite piece in the show. They’d gone out that day, laughing and learning all about the other over coffee in a nearby café. He’d discovered that her son, just like his, was a huge fan of comic books. They’d finished coffee and had walked to the closest comic book store they knew of, each picking out a particular copy for their children. 

_ “Henry loves Thor,” Regina tells him, walking to the next row of comics. She tells him her son already has so many thanks to her and her best friend, Tink, who always seems to come over with a new one for her son. “Who does Roland like?” _

_ He thinks for a second, always getting their names mixed up. “He likes the blonde guy. Captain America?” _

_ Regina giggles, nodding and saying Henry had gone through a Captain America phase and she’d be glad to look through Henry’s old collection and find ones he’s willing to part ways with.  _

_ “That’d be great,” he tells her sincerely, “Thank you, Regina.” _

_ They continue thumbing through the stacks of comics, both finally settling on the perfect ones for their boys. After he’d paid for both comics, against Regina’s protests, he takes her hand, linking their fingers and leading her out of the store. It was a great first date, indeed. _

They’ve been inseparable since then, ending their first date with a gentle kiss and a promise to call. He’d called that night, telling her he couldn’t stay away (which she agreed, saying she was quite taken with him as well), and they’d gone to dinner two nights later. 

It’s been wonderful, almost perfect even (minus their few and far between arguments that every couple has), being with Regina Mills. She’s guarded around other people, always having her walls up to protect herself from getting hurt like she had in a past, but he’s scaled those walls, breaking down her defenses and getting to know the real her. She’s creative, witty, intelligent, funny, and loves with her whole heart. She’s a wonderful mother; it’s one of the things that attracted him so much to her in the first place. 

They’ve spent time with their children together over the last half year, taking them to movies, the park, or different museums, both discovering that their sons had a lot more in common than loving comic books of their favorite superheroes. 

“You’ll see,” she giggles, taking his hand that rests on the middle console. She’d claimed earlier that it was her turn to drive, since she was the one to plan this date. They’d dropped both boys off with his friend John, promising not to stay out too late, though his friend encouraged them to take all the time they needed with a wink and shove out the door. 

Robin brings their joined hands up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. He loves this woman, hasn’t told her yet, but he knows he does. He’s never felt like this for anyone other than his late Marian. It’s been almost four years since she died, and he truly never thought he’d have these feelings again.

Sighing, he sits back, forfeiting his attempts to guess where they’re going and lets her take the lead. He takes out his phone, scrolling through his Instagram feed and reading funny memes off to her to pass the time. 

Pulling into the parking lot, she breathes out an  _ okay, we’re here _ , and he looks up from his phone. 

Sherwood Gallery. The place where they’d met. 

He scans his eyes over to hers, silently questioning what they’re doing there.

“There’s some new pieces I wanted us to check out.”

Robin nods, always up for an evening of art browsing, and opens his door, going around to her side. Opening her door, she steps out, leaning up on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips. 

“Shall we, milady?” he asks, holding out his arm for her to take. She does, smiling all the way inside.

{******************}

They walk into the gallery, linking hands and perusing the different paintings on display. She’s nervous, shouldn’t be - it’s just Robin - but she has a surprise for him, and she hopes he likes it. 

“You remember that painting I did of Henry? The one that was in the exposé the day we met,” she says as they move closer to her surprise. She’s been working on this piece for the last two months in secret, adding touches to it during the day while Robin was at work, and sneaking to the basement on the nights he’d slept over to get it completed in time. 

He hums in acknowledgement. “The painting I couldn’t take my eyes off of the day you couldn’t take yours off me,” Robin says with a grin on his face.

She giggles, swatting his chest playfully as he wraps his arm around her shoulder. He’s such a flirt, and she loves him for it. Loves all of him, in fact, just hasn’t told him yet. Regina steers their bodies to the left, signaling the next room in the exhibit with her chin. “Well, I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” he asks with a furrow to his brow. 

She stops, tugging the arm that’s resting around his torso so he halts his movements. She turns, smiling up at him before roaming her eyes to the right. He does the same, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he turns his head to look at what she’s gazing upon. 

Hanging on the wall is her newest piece. The accompanying sister painting, if you will, to her  _ Boy with a Book _ , the one she’d created of Henry lying on his stomach reading a book. Robin had loved that piece, couldn’t stop talking about it for months, always complaining that he was upset someone had bought it before he could. 

_ “I just loved it so much,” he whines with a playful pout to his lips. “If a beautiful woman hadn’t distracted me, dragging me off to coffee, I could’ve bought it.” _

_ “Hmm,” she hums, wrapping her arms around his waist as he cleans the dishes from their dinner. He’s cooked for her tonight, spaghetti this time, and she’s offered to clean up, but he refused, saying this was his night to treat her. “Something tells me you liked the coffee more than the painting.” _

_ He chuckles, turning to press a kiss to her cheek. “I like the artist I got to take to coffee more than the coffee." _

_ Shaking her head, she rolls her eyes. Always such the romantic. “That was a month ago, Robin,” she giggles, “and you’re still going on about that damn painting.” _

_ She tells him she might just have to create a smaller version of the portrait for him to keep on his desk. He shuts the water off, drying his hands on the dish towel and turning to face her. Leaning against the kitchen counter, he pulls her to him, placing his arms around her torso. His hand runs down, cupping her bottom before roaming back up, coming to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She closes her eyes, sighing at the contact as her head tilts back, settling into the contact. She got so lucky, staring at this stranger in an art gallery. _

_ “It was a great painting,” he defends, leaning down to kiss her lips. She smiles into his lips, nodding and promising to make a smaller one just for him. Unbeknownst to him, she’d started on it last week, vowing to herself to have it completed for his birthday in a few weeks. _

“Regina,” Robin breathes, pulling her from her memory. “Is this…”

“Yes,” she nods, cutting him off before he can even finish his question. “You loved  _ Boy with a Book _ so much, I thought I’d give you  _ Family with a Book _ .”

He covers his mouth, untangling his other arm from around her shoulders as he moves closer to the canvas. He sighs, turning his gaze to her, then back to the painting. He scans over the portrait, pointing and smiling at all the little details she’d put in it.

She smiles, can already tell he loves it. There on the canvas sits Robin on the floor with Roland in his lap and Henry by his side. His arm is draped over Henry as Roland holds a book in his lap, reading to the two older boys. It was a sweet moment, one she’d walked in on a few months ago. She’d just finished cleaning up from dinner and was walking back to Henry’s bedroom to tell them it was time to say goodnight. Before she could get the words out though, a lump formed in her throat. Roland was practicing his reading skills, sounding out words in a book probably a little above his reading level, as Henry and Robin listened on intently, helping when need be. Robin was running one hand through Roland’s curls as the other rested around her son’s shoulders, pulling him closer into their sweet moment. 

It was beautiful, and she knew right then that she had to paint it. She’d started that night, just sketching out their bodies to give her a good place to start. Over the next two months, she’d worked on it religiously, filling in and shadowing where need be until it was finally complete. 

“I love it,” Robin vows in a reverent whisper, turning to look at her with amazement in his eyes. “It’s beautiful, Regina.”

She smiles, taking his hand and leading him to the bench where she’d sat so many months ago, sketching his face without him knowing (or so she thought). She tells him how the gallery loved it when she’d brought it to them, and they’d invited her to have another display in their next show. The new exposé won’t be until next month, but until then they are going to feature some of the upcoming artwork from all the artists that will be featured. “I have a few more pieces that I showed you the other night that I need to finish to go in the show, but this was the most important.”

{******************}

He’s dumbfounded. Truly amazed with the talent that his girlfriend possess. The lifelikeness of him and the boys blows him away; he can almost hear Roland’s stumbled reading and Henry helping him stretch words out through the painting itself. He’s always known she was talented, it’s one of the first things to draw him to her, but this is… stunning. 

“I’m so proud of you,” he says as he situates himself on the bench, his knee grazing against hers. It’s funny, sitting here, knowing this is where they’d met. It seems like the perfect spot to tell her what he’s been planning on saying for the last few weeks. 

As fate would have it, the gallery had hung her painting in the exact same spot as  _ Boy with a Book _ , so he can still see it from where he sits. Looking over her shoulder, he smiles at the canvas one more time. 

“Thank you,” Regina says, brushing her hair behind her shoulders. She moves slightly, bringing his attention back to her face. God he loves her face, loves her everything. She’s so beautiful, and he can’t believe he’s lucky enough to call her his girlfriend; hopefully one day down the line he’ll be able to call her more than that. 

“Regina,” he says seriously, turning his gaze back to her brown eyes. He adores those eyes, knows he was born to gaze into them. They are so expressive, show so many of her emotions even without her opening her mouth. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Okay…” she says tentatively, narrowing her eyes at him. He can’t help but to chuckle. He’s making this more weighted than it need be. It’s serious, yes, but telling her how he feels shouldn’t feel like he’s telling her he has a life threatening illness. 

Taking a deep breath, he finally blurts out, “I love you,” closing his eyes before quickly opening them, his blue eyes latching onto hers. “I’ve known it for a while, and you don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready, but I just needed you to know how I feel.”

Regina smiles then, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek as she bites down on her bottom lip. She leans in, pressing her plump lips to his. He twists his body, angling himself so he can access her kiss more easily. His lips part, covering hers in a warm embrace. She moans quietly, pulling back before they make too much of a scene in the middle of the art gallery.

“Robin,” she breathes, smiling brightly in his direction as her eyes mist over. “I love you, too.”

He smiles, rubbing his thumb along her jaw before placing a soft peck to her lips. She tells him she’s known she was in love with him for a few months now, since that night she found Roland reading to him and Henry. That was a good night; it was around then that he started to realize he was in love with her as well. 

Regina giggles, standing and taking his hand. She tugs on it, tilting her head toward the front of the building. “Could I interest you in going somewhere else? Coffee perhaps?” 

He chuckles, remembering he’d used those exact words six months ago to ask her out in this very same spot. Thinking back to how she’d responded, he echoes her words from that day, shaking his head and saying, “I think that sounds like a great idea,” before leaning down and kissing the top of her head.

Smiling, she links their hands, walking them back toward the front of the gallery. Before they make it out the door, he can’t help himself, and he leans in, whispering an  _ I love you _ into her hair.

Regina stops, turning to smile up at him. She loops her arms around his neck, pulling him down closer to her. “And I love you, baby. So much.” She captures his lips then in a gentle kiss, sighing into their joined mouths. 

Pulling back with a smile, he says, “Come on. Let’s go get that coffee.”

As they make their way from the gallery,  _ Family with a Book _ still on display, Robin links their hands together once more. He turns to glance over his shoulder at the painting, then back to Regina, reveling in this little family they’re slowly creating - the one that has already stolen his heart.


End file.
